Saudi Arabia: Kompromat and the MBS-Bezos affair

Saudi officials, including foreign minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan who was eloquent but harassed in Davos, have responded with incredulity to reports the mobile phone of Amazon’s billionaire founder – and Washington Post owner – Jeff Bezos was hacked in 2018 via a WhatsApp message sent from Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS)’s account. Evidence that will be much debated was provided in a report commissioned by Bezos from US advisory FTI Consulting’s cybersecurity expert Anthony Ferrante; it was passed to selected media outlets and United Nations special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye.