Probe finds former MEP investigating Pegasus was himself hacked with Pegasus
A new forensic investigation reveals that former European Parliament member Stelios Kouloglou, who served on the parliament's committee investigating spyware abuses, was repeatedly hacked with Pegasus spyware. The discovery raises fresh questions about whether the inquiry's work was compromised.
Former Member of the European Parliament Stelios Kouloglou was "repeatedly hacked" with Pegasus spyware while serving on the parliament's committee investigating spyware abuses, according to a new forensic investigation by the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.
Researchers found that Kouloglou's phone was infected at least twice — on October 21, 2022 and March 6–7, 2023 — during two critical phases of the investigation carried out by the Parliament's PEGA Committee. This marks the first publicly documented case of an active member of the committee being targeted with Pegasus, the spyware operated by Israeli firm NSO Group.
According to the report, the spyware would likely have given the attacker access to Kouloglou's private emails, text messages and other communications relating to the committee's deliberations, potentially exposing confidential parliamentary work. The first hack occurred as lawmakers prepared research missions to Greece, Cyprus and Spain, while the second happened as they finalized the committee's report.
Kouloglou, an investigative journalist turned MEP, stated that the hacking was undoubtedly linked to his role on the PEGA Committee. The researchers do not attribute the hacking to any specific government but note overlaps with a previously documented Pegasus campaign targeting exiled Russian- and Belarusian-speaking journalists and activists in Europe, suggesting the operation was likely carried out by an NSO Group customer authorized to deploy Pegasus across multiple European countries.
Sophie in 't Veld, a former MEP and lead lawmaker on the PEGA Committee, criticized the European Commission's inaction, pointing out that despite hundreds of politicians being targeted — including European Parliament President Roberta Metsola — the Commission has done nothing to curb the abuse or punish the perpetrators.
