Saudi Arabia Gets Israeli Spyware to Track Citizens for $300M, and UN Says MBS Linked to Khashoggi Murder

Spyware software developed in Israel has reportedly been sold to Saudi Arabia. The cost is said to be $300 million. The rulers want t o crackdown on dissidents and pro-democracy supporters.

_{AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ}

The deal was apparently deal with directly by both sides, as the source mentioned there was no mediator. This is significant due to Israel and Saudi Arabia having no formal relations.

The source says that the spyware is to trace it's citizens, at home in Saudi Arabia and abroad. We know they have already been using spyware to track many of their citizens like xx in Canada.

This deal is apparently for a first 1,000 "small but sophisticated tracking devices, which can be placed in the target’s mobile phone to fully monitor the movements of their owners both in Saudi Arabia and abroad." Then a second part of deal happens by 2020 where they get another 2,000 devices.

But why would they need this, when they already apparently have the "no-click" mobile phone spyware hack developed by NSO Group Technologies in 2017. Haaretz already covered the previous offer from Israel to sell some spyware.

The offer was made just months before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman began his purge of opponents. Haaretz investigated testimony, photos, as well as travel and legal documents to validate the story.

Saudi Arabia has been outed by a Canadian security firm when they were tracking down a Saudi dissedent named Omar Abdulaziz as well as Ghanem Almasrir and Yahya Asiri who live in London. They were all in contact with Khashoggi.

_Source

The Khashoggi murder is back in the news as the UN has some scathing remarks for the Suadi prince and ruler. They cited "credible evidence" that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involve din the murder plot.

UN extrajudicial executions investigator Agnes Callamard said in a recent report that Khashoggi's death "constituted an extrajudicial killing for which the State of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responsible". and has "determined that there is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi Officials' individual liability, including the crown prince's."

However, Callamard said "no conclusion is made as to guilt. The only conclusion made is that there is credible evidence meriting further investigation, by a proper authority, as to whether the threshold of criminal responsibility has been met".

That's pretty damning against the "kingdom" and nails their bullshit story in a coffin for good. This was a sanctions hit by a strong authoritarian state to take out one of their dissidents. The CIA was the previous big organization to says MBS was involved.

Will anything come out of this in terms of consequences for Saudi Arabia, or MBS? I doubt it.

---

References:

• Saudi Arabia buys $300m spyware from Israel
• Saudi Arabia buys $300 million worth of spy software from Israel: Report
• 'Credible evidence' links MBS to Khashoggi's murder: UN report

---

Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.

---

_{If you appreciate and value the content, please consider: Upvoting, Sharing or Reblogging below.
me for more content to come!}

---

Like what I do? Then consider giving me a vote on the Witness page :) Thanks!

_{My goal is to share knowledge, truth and moral understanding in order to help change the world for the better. If you appreciate and value what I do, please consider supporting me as a Steem Witness by voting for me at the bottom of the Witness page.}

---

Posted from KURE