Codename “Morgan”: A look back at Morocco’s acquisition of Pegasus, involving Israel and the United Arab Emirates

Forbidden Stories and its partners have investigated Morocco's acquisition and use of the Pegasus spyware, codenamed “Morgan” by NSO. The investigation reveals a partnership between Israeli company NSO, Morocco, and an Emirati intermediary, Al Fahad, whose parent company is now funded by the UAE government. NSO representatives demonstrated Pegasus at Rabat’s “Villa FSSYS” in late 2017 to Moroccan intelligence agents, who were reportedly impressed by its capabilities. A former DGST agent, Safir, described Pegasus as “the monster’s weapon.”

“We’d never seen anything like it before. NSO’s attacks were remarkable.”

The Emirati intermediary, Al Fahad, reportedly facilitated Morocco's access to Pegasus, a role it previously played in Morocco's acquisition of other spyware. This arrangement, which predates the Abraham Accords, involved high-level government ties. While the exact financial role of the UAE is debated, some sources suggest the Emirates may have funded Morocco's use of the costly spyware, with one source stating, “Millions are nothing to the Emiratis. They bought it and redistributed it to friendly agencies.”