Dubai ruler hacked ex-wife’s phone, UK court finds

The British High Court found the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, hacked the phone of his ex-wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, during their high-profile custody battle.

The phones of Princess Haya’s lawyers, Baroness Fiona Shackleton QC and Nick Manners, were also targeted during the divorce custody case, according to the court.

The court findings are the latest in a series of allegations brought against the sheikh in recent years. Last year, he was charged with abducting his two daughters, Latifa and Shamsa, and was then accused this year of holding them against their will.

The sheikh denies all allegations of wrongdoing, claiming the courts findings were based on evidence not disclosed to him, and were “made in a manner which was unfair”.

“Hunted and and haunted”

The hacking took place in July and August 2020 “at a time of significant events” in the court proceedings when hearings were taking place over the welfare of the children.

Princess Haya told the court she is living in fear of her life after receiving threatening messages from agents of her former husband.

Now her legal team is accusing agents of the Emirate of Dubai of acting on the sheikh’s behalf in hacking the phones of her solicitors, Baroness Shackleton and Nick Manners, as well as her personal assistant and two members of her security staff.

It was also alleged the sheikh had attempted to buy property next door to Princess Haya’s estate near London. The court heard that “if anyone chose to use it, it is in prime position for direct or electronic surveillance”.

Significant amount of data “covertly extracted”

The surveillance software used to hack the phones of the Princess and her attorney’s can expose substantial amounts of data, from the person’s location to their texts and photographs.

The ‘Pegasus spyware’ is alleged to have been deployed by Saudi government agents working on the orders of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, against dissidents living abroad, including associates of the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It also allows the hacker to activate the target’s phone without their knowledge, recording their activity and even taking photographs and screenshots.

The court concluded that the hacking attempts resulted in more than 265 megabytes of data extracted from Princess Haya’s phone.

Although this is a serious blow to the sheikh’s international reputation, it is very unlikely it will result in police questioning.

As Dubai’s sovereign ruler and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates – he and the wider UAE government remain close allies of the UK.