Key facts
- Serbian prosecutor Rade Bajić was targeted with Pegasus spyware.
- Vladan Djokic, rector of the University of Belgrade, also had his phone infected with Pegasus.
- Apple sent warnings to users on August 13 about potential spyware targeting.
- At least 14 individuals in Serbia were targeted with advanced spyware prior to March local elections.
A Serbian prosecutor investigating alleged corruption surrounding a Trump real estate project in Belgrade was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, according to research published Monday. Rade Bajić, a member of Serbia's Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime, received an Apple Threat Notification on August 13 indicating his phone may have been targeted by mercenary spyware.
This revelation follows earlier findings by Toronto University's Citizen Lab and the SHARE Foundation that Vladan Đokić, rector of the University of Belgrade, had his iPhone hacked using Pegasus spyware. The spyware revelations come amid controversy over plans to redevelop a former Yugoslav military headquarters in Belgrade into a luxury Trump Tower skyscraper, a project associated with Jared Kushner.
In September, researchers reported that at least 14 people in Serbia, including student activists and opposition figures, had received warnings indicating they may have been targeted with sophisticated spyware. Citizen Lab confirmed a Pegasus infection in at least one case.