FBI, US Intelligence Chiefs Must Probe Possible Saudi Hack Of Bezos' Phone - Senator

FBI, US Intelligence Chiefs Must Probe Possible Saudi Hack of Bezos' Phone - Senator

US intelligence and FBI chiefs must launch investigations into whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman or other Saudi officials secretly accessed the phones of billionaire Jeff Bezos and other Americans, Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement on Thursday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2020) US intelligence and FBI chiefs must launch investigations into whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman or other Saudi officials secretly accessed the phones of billionaire Jeff Bezos and other Americans, Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement on Thursday.

"I will be writing a letter to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation asking them to investigate if Mohamed bin Salman or other Saudi officials illegally accessed Mr. Bezos' phone, or the devices of other US citizens or US government officials," Murphy said.

Murphy was commenting on a United Nations report that bin Salman delivered spyware to the mobile phone of Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, in an effort to influence - if not silence - the Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia.

"We already knew Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and now it appears he was personally involved in the hacking of Jeff Bezos and possibly other US citizens," Murphy said.

The extent of the Saudi campaign targeting the late Washington Post columnist Khashoggi and their efforts to discredit coverage afterwards should create serious concern about Riyadh's broader intimidation campaign against its perceived opponents, Murphy added.