Co-Founder of Controversial Spyware Firm Had Israeli Diplomatic Passport

Date Published

July 28, 2026

Topics

Targeted Surveillance
NSO Group, Pegasus, spyware

Mentions

John Scott-Railton

A recent investigation by OCCRP found that the co-founder of NSO Group, which develops Pegasus spyware, travelled to Panama in 2013 on an Israeli diplomatic passport.

Senior researcher John Scott-Railton spoke with OCCRP, saying that the finding “raises questions about NSO’s connections to the [Israeli] state.” 

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