Published: 17:36, July 22, 2021 | Updated: 17:36, July 22, 2021
France's Macron to hold cabinet meeting on Pegasus spyware case
By Reuters

France's President Emmanuel Macron takes part in a video conference with local politicians at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on June 7, 2021. (THOMAS SAMSON / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a special cabinet meeting on Thursday morning to discuss investigations into the Pegasus spyware case, government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said.

Attal said progress was being made in the investigations after Amnesty International and a group of international media organizations said spyware made and licensed by a company based in Israel was used in hacks of smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists.

French President Emmanuel Macron has denied buying or using the Pegasus spyware licensed by Israel-based NSO group after Amnesty and the group of 17 international media organizations reported that it had targeted thousands of phone numbers

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"The president will this morning hold a special defence council meeting at the Elysee (palace) on the Pegasus case and on cyber-security", Attal told France Inter radio.

French daily Le Monde has reported that Macron's phone was on a list of potential targets for potential surveillance on behalf of Morocco in the spyware case.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said Macron had called for a series of investigations into the case.

"The president is monitoring the case very closely", Attal said.

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Morocco has denied buying or using the Pegasus spyware licensed by Israel-based NSO group after Amnesty and the group of 17 international media organizations reported that it had targeted thousands of phone numbers.

The company has denied the allegations in the report.