Roger Torrent, the president of the regional parliament of Catalonia, asked the Spanish government on Tuesday to launch an official investigation into espionage. Specifically, there have been reports that Torrent’s mobile phone was targeted by Spanish services . The Catalan president, who is a leading supporter of Catalonia’s bid to secede from Spain and become an independent country, said the reports prove what was already known, namely that the Spanish state is spying on its political opponents. In calling for an investigation into espionage, the Catalan president said in a televised statement that it was important to uncover the truth.
According to a report published on Tuesday by the newspapers “El Pais” and “The Guardian”, Torrent had received warnings in 2019 that his mobile phone had been targeted by spyware, which, according to its manufacturer, is only sold to governments and national security.
The Spanish and British newspapers reported a lawsuit against the US over spyware that exploited an old vulnerability in the WhatsAppand could potentially provide access to all the data on a person’s phone. The reports did not provide evidence that Torrent’s phone was hacked. Two other well-known figures who support Catalonia’s secession from Spain were also said to have been targeted. Catalonia’s bid for independence from Spain has long been a thorn in the side of Spanish governments. Spain’s intelligence agency, known as the “CNI,” declined to answer questions about the spying allegations.
The office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government was not aware that the phones of three Catalan independence figures might have been hacked, adding that such an incident should be brought before a judge.
According to the newspapers “El Pais” and “The Guardian”, WhatsApp believes that the attacks occurred in April and May 2019. Over a two-week period, the newspapers reported that 1,400 WhatsApp users were allegedly targeted by the “Pegasus” spyware, sold by an Israeli company called “NSO Group”.
Facebook , which owns WhatsApp, acknowledged attacks that took place at the time Torrent's phone was allegedly targeted, but did not provide further details. The company is also taking legal action against NSO for the attacks .
The Republican Left of Catalonia, a pro-independence political party that includes Torrent in its ranks, as well as the pro-independence coalition “JxCat,” on Tuesday asked Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to urgently appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions about the spying reports.
