# Saudi Arabia: spyware on an associate's phone precedes Jamal Khashoggi's killing by one day

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The source reviewed states Abdulaziz cannot definitively link the spyware operation to Khashoggi's killing, and does not establish that link independently.

Citizen Lab found Pegasus spyware on the phone of Saudi dissident Omar Abdulaziz, a close associate and collaborator of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, one day before Saudi operatives killed Khashoggi inside the country's Istanbul consulate.[1][2][3]

- Country: [Saudi Arabia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/sa) (RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180)
- Where: SA
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Surveillance and subpoenas
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/surveillance_and_subpoenas#stage-punish)
- Ladder note: A journalist's close collaborator was covertly surveilled one day before the journalist himself was killed inside his own country's consulate.
- Head of government at the time: [Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/king-salman)
- Issue of the day: Abdulaziz and Khashoggi had been collaborating on plans for a news and human rights website, and Khashoggi was, according to Abdulaziz, sharply critical of the Saudi crown prince in their private conversations.
- Outcome: Unknown, October 1, 2018. Citizen Lab's finding on the spyware operation itself was not followed, in the source reviewed, by any reported Saudi accountability measure.
- Era: The 2010s

## What happened

On October 1, 2018, the Canadian digital rights research group Citizen Lab published forensic analysis finding, with a high degree of confidence, that Saudi dissident Omar Abdulaziz's phone had been successfully infected with Pegasus spyware made by Israel's NSO Group, in an operation linked to Saudi government operators. Abdulaziz was a close associate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the two had been collaborating on plans for a news and human rights website; Abdulaziz said Khashoggi had been sharply critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in their private conversations, including through encrypted messages that the spyware would have exposed. The day after Citizen Lab published its findings, on October 2, 2018, Saudi operatives killed Khashoggi inside the country's consulate in Istanbul. Abdulaziz has said he cannot definitively link the spyware operation against his own phone to Khashoggi's killing, but the timing raised serious questions about how Saudi authorities may have learned of Khashoggi's private communications and views before his death.[1][2][3]

No public accountability measure for the spyware operation against Abdulaziz's phone is reported in the source reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed; no Saudi government justification for the spyware operation against Abdulaziz's phone is quoted in the source.[1][2][3]

## What changed for reporting

Surveillance of a journalist's close collaborator exposed private communications and views the journalist believed were confidential, one day before he was killed inside his own country's consulate.[1]

## Timeline

- 2018-10-01: Saudi Arabia: spyware on an associate's phone precedes Jamal Khashoggi's killing by one day

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/king-salman) | other | King of Saudi Arabia |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Jamal Khashoggi](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/jamal-khashoggi) | journalist, The Washington Post | affected |
| [Omar Abdulaziz](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/omar-abdulaziz) | journalist | affected |

## Sources

1. How the Saudis may have spied on Jamal Khashoggi. https://cpj.org/2018/10/how-the-saudis-may-have-spied-on-jamal-khashoggi/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2018-10-31).
2. Saudis behind NSO spyware attack on Jamal Khashoggi's family. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/18/nso-spyware-used-to-target-family-of-jamal-khashoggi-leaked-data-shows-saudis-pegasus (The Guardian, 2021-07-18).
3. Probe: Journalists, activists among firm's spyware targets. https://www.ap.org/media-center/ap-in-the-news/2021/probe-journalists-activists-among-firms-spyware-targets/ (Associated Press, 2021-07-18).

## Claims cited

[1] Saudi operatives killed Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul one day after Citizen Lab published its findings on the spyware attack against his associate. Quote: "Saudi operatives murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2018-10-31. How the Saudis may have spied on Jamal Khashoggi. https://cpj.org/2018/10/how-the-saudis-may-have-spied-on-jamal-khashoggi/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/528, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Citizen Lab found with a high degree of confidence that Abdulaziz had been targeted with Pegasus spyware linked to Saudi operators. Quote: "with a high degree of confidence" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2018-10-31. How the Saudis may have spied on Jamal Khashoggi. https://cpj.org/2018/10/how-the-saudis-may-have-spied-on-jamal-khashoggi/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/621, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Abdulaziz and Khashoggi were collaborating on plans for a news and human rights website. Quote: "plans for a news and human rights website" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2018-10-31. How the Saudis may have spied on Jamal Khashoggi. https://cpj.org/2018/10/how-the-saudis-may-have-spied-on-jamal-khashoggi/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/622, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2018-saudi-arabia-pegasus-khashoggi-associate. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.