Mexican prosecutors said Monday that they had detained a man accused of spying on a journalist using the Pegasus software at the center of a global spyware scandal.
The suspect, identified as Juan Carlos “G,” is thought to be the first person arrested in Mexico for using the controversial software developed by Israeli firm NSO Group.
He was detained in the central city of Queretaro on charges of illegally monitoring communications and transferred to a prison in Mexico City, the attorney general’s office said.
The suspect’s actions against the unnamed journalist were aimed at “limiting and undermining her freedom of expression,” it said in a statement.
In July, an international media investigation called the Pegasus Project revealed that 25 journalists in Mexico were among the targets of NSO clients.
One of them, Cecilio Pineda, was murdered in March 2017.
In total, around 15,000 Mexican smartphone numbers were reported to be among more than 50,000 believed to have been selected by NSO clients for potential surveillance.
The numbers included President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s inner circle when he was opposition leader and political rival of then-president Enrique Pena Nieto.
According to the Pegasus Project investigation, Mexican agencies that have acquired the spyware include the defense ministry, the attorney general’s office and the national security intelligence service.
Lopez Obrador has said that the authorities now only spy on criminals and not political opponents or reporters.
Related: Mexican Journalists, Activists Accuse Govt of Spying on Them
Related: Hungarian Official: Government Bought, Used Pegasus Spyware
Related: 6 Palestinian Rights Activists Hacked by NSO Spyware

More from AFP
- Huawei Has Replaced Thousands of US-Banned Parts With Chinese Versions: Founder
- Poland Breaks up Russian Spy Ring
- Facebook ‘Unlawfully’ Used Dutch Personal Data: Court
- White House Cybersecurity Strategy Stresses Software Safety
- Internet Access, Privacy ‘Essential for Freedom’: Proton Chief
- ‘Hackers’ Behind Air Raid Alerts Across Russia: Official
- Spies, Hackers, Informants: How China Snoops on the US
- European Police Arrest 42 After Cracking Covert App
Latest News
- Aembit Scores $16.6M Seed Funding for Workload IAM Technology
- Millions Stolen in Hack at Cryptocurrency ATM Manufacturer General Bytes
- Waterfall Security, TXOne Networks Launch New OT Security Appliances
- Hitachi Energy Blames Data Breach on Zero-Day as Ransomware Gang Threatens Firm
- NBA Notifying Individuals of Data Breach at Mailing Services Provider
- Adobe Acrobat Sign Abused to Distribute Malware
- New York Man Arrested for Running BreachForums Cybercrime Website
- Huawei Has Replaced Thousands of US-Banned Parts With Chinese Versions: Founder
