THE STATE OF QATAR'S HACK OF OUR DEMOCRACIES 2019 - The Investigative Journal
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THE STATE OF QATAR'S HACK OF OUR DEMOCRACIES Richard Miniter 2019
2
BREACHED: Sony Pictures’ California HQ suffered a cyberattack in 2014, thought to originate
with North Korea’s attempt to block a film satirizing Kim Jong-un (REUTERS)
Introduction
In one of the largest state-sponsored computer hacks ever detected, Qatar’s
proxies cyberattacked more than 1,400 high-status and ordinary citizens who
were exercising their free-speech rights in democracies across North America,
the Middle East and Europe, according to U.S. court filings, computer-forensic
reports and expert testimony provided in pre-trial motions.
T he targets included current
and former U.S. government
officials, ambassadors and
United Nations officials, as well as
actors, international soccer players,
Sami Hafez Anan, Egypt’s former
Chief of the General Staff of the
Armed Forces; Secretary-General
of the Arab League and former
Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed
Center for American Progress, and
former director at Glover Park
Group; American Rabbi Shmuley
Boteach; and Kristin Wood,
former senior analytics adviser
activists, executives, fundraisers, Abdul Gheit; Assistant Secretary- at the Open Source Center,
diplomats, generals, dissidents, General of the Arab League and Central Intelligence Agency, who
scholars, journalists, rabbis and former Egyptian ambassador led the Terrorism Analysis team
imams from around the world. Even Hossam Zaki; UAE official and examining al-Qaeda’s ties to
members of royal families and heads diplomat Sheikh Maktoum Bin Middle Eastern countries at the
of state — e.g. Bahrain’s Crown Bhutti al Maktoum; Saudi Arabian Counterterrorism Center (CTC).
Prince Salman bin Hamad al- Minister of State for African At a time when the U.S. media
Khalifa and United Arab Emirates’ Affairs and former Egyptian has been consumed by speculation
(UAE’s) Her Highness Sheikha ambassador Ahmed Abdul about Russian interference in its
Hind Bint Maktoum Bin Juma al Aziz Kattan; Egyptian Cabinet 2016 presidential elections, and
Maktoum (wife of Dubai’s ruler and Member and Minister of State Hollywood is still reeling from
niece of HH Sheikh Mohammed for Foreign Affairs Mohammed North Korea’s computer attacks
bin Rashid al Maktoum) — were Gargash; Wolfgang Pusztai, on Sony Pictures,1 the depth of
among those affected. security and policy analyst, and Qatar’s digital strikes has gone
The list of prominent Middle former Austrian defense attaché; largely unrecognized. Here the
Eastern, European and North James Lamond, managing director details of the hack are revealed in
American targets also included: and senior policy adviser at the full for the first time.
1. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/north-korea-hackers-server-thailand-sony-pictures-cyber-
attack-a8329586.html
3
Qatar’s Cyber War: The Background
Qatar’s computer warfare is unprecedented in its duration (stretching over
a four-year period from 2014–2018), geographic reach (including attacks on
victims in three continents — Asia, Europe and North America), and scope
(afflicting more than 1,400 people).
A nd although they are united
in the effects of these
attacks, the victims have no
other personal or professional ties to
each other, apart from the remarks
they have made that were publicly
critical of Qatar.
These critics of the Qatari
regime were engaging their
constitutionally protected rights to
speech rights within the Western
democracies or countries they
hail from when their offending
remarks were made. They cited
Qatar’s open, traceable and public
financial support for the Muslim FINE-FETTERED FRIENDS: Qatar’s critics have cited its open sheltering of terrorists in
Brotherhood and Hamas — Doha’s luxury hotels (REUTERS) and “Sharia and Life” TV personality Yusuf al Qaradawi’s
designated as a terrorist group by (inset, by Nmkuttiady / WikiCommons) incendiary comments
the U.S., the EU, Canada and Israel 6
— and the Qatari government’sThey also mentioned Qatar’s Life” for years, which was watched
harboring of Hamas and other
use of its Al Jazeera broadcasts to by millions of viewers and7 on which
terrorist leaders
normalize terrorist viewpoints. 2
inside luxury hotel he still appears as a guest.
complexes within the Qatari During one of his
capital, Doha. In other words, the controversial appearances as a
country’s critics and the targets of studio guest, he was asked by the
its hacking operations only cited anchor if he supported suicide
information that is publicly bombings in Syria. An impassioned
Qatar’s shocking available and undisputed. Qaradawi shamelessly responded
hack reveals the blueprint Yet the accuracy
of the criticism
that jihadists should not blow
themselves up unless the operation
rogue nations can use to is not in doubt. is endorsed by the Brotherhood.
target ordinary citizens, topple Qatar has officially
acknowledged its
The Middle East 8
Research
Institute (MEMRI), a non-profit
politicians and subvert political financial support
3
group that monitors Arabic-
movements in the open societies for Hamas
and its support
language media and translates
its output, has presented many
they oppose. Democracy’s silent for the Muslim 4
9
examples of Al Jazeera presenting
enemy now lurks on every Brotherhood.
Any review of Al
pro-terrorist viewpoints.
Alberto Fernandez, vice
citizen’s smartphone, tablet Jazeera’s Arabic-language president of MEMRI, offered this
and laptop” broadcasts will reveal5
that Yusuf al Qaradawi, the
balanced assessment: “My personal
views on Al Jazeera are complicated,
Brotherhood’s spiritual guide, had even though it is obvious that much
a weekly show called “Sharia and of its content is deeply disturbing.
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/23/why-saudi-arabia-hates-al-jazeera-so-much/?u&utm_term=.5a37717d3d66
3. https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/qatar-vowes-to-continue-supporting-hamas-in-gaza-1.5493246
4. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/07/muslim-brotherhood-qatar/532380/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusuf_al-Qaradawi
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/23/why-saudi-arabia-hates-al-jazeera-so-much/?u&utm_term=.58030dc38e71
7. https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/whatkilledarafat/2012/07/2012732069963178.html
8. https://www.memri.org
9. https://www.memri.org/reports/defending-and-attacking-mythological-version-al-jazeera-television
4
MIXED MESSAGES: Staff at work inside Al Jazeera’s Doha HQ, June 2017. The Qatari-owned
network both transmits and elicits conflicting views (REUTERS)
“T
he truth of Al Jazeera is of dollars to help cleanse Qatar of its U.S. Navy Seal and CIA contractor,
rather more than those terror-funding record.” who sought anonymity given his past
who want to shut it Still, Qatar’s leaders appeared field work. “Now they are using our
down and those who defend it. It to be alarmed that critics might shift own Internet against us.”
is BOTH a legitimate, historically U.S. or EU policy against the gas- Qatar’s shocking hack deserves
important news operation, and an rich peninsula. These fears also have a closer look because it reveals the
open and constant exercise in Islamist a strong basis in fact. Indeed, some blueprint that rogue nations can use
agitprop,” continues Fernandez. American critics who were hacked, to target ordinary citizens, topple
“[Islamic scholar] Fouad Ajami such as American Rabbi Shmuley politicians and subvert political
perfectly captured the tone and Boteach, had called for changes to movements in the open societies
nuance of the station in 2011 when U.S. policy, including shuttering the they oppose. Democracy’s silent
he noted that, ‘day in and day out, Al U.S. military base in Qatar and taking enemy now lurks on every citizen’s
Jazeera deliberately fans the flames of a harder line against the country. smartphone, tablet and laptop.
Muslim outrage.” 10 So, Qatar apparently authorized
Living as they did in free, a wide-ranging hack and attack on
democratic countries, Qatar’s critics its international critics, as court
had every reason to expect that their documents show. 12
nations’ laws and traditions would Clearly, intelligence If true, this would
safeguard their rights to speak freely. officials say, the West is
Now Qatar’s hacks have changed entering a new era of constitute a dangerous and
those expectations. asymmetric warfare. direct attack by a foreign
“If true — and the story Nations that cannot
seems to be strongly corroborated hope to challenge the government against American
— it would constitute a dangerous U.S. or NATO on any citizens for exercising their
and direct attack by a foreign traditional battlefield
government against American are using the Internet First Amendment rights”
citizens for exercising their First — an information —Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
Amendment rights,” American Rabbi superhighway originally
Shmuley Boteach said in a statement built by the U.S. military
to Breitbart.11 itself — to wage war on the
“It would constitute an assault superpower.
against a Rabbi and his wife, a mother “On September 11th,
of nine, for speaking out against the terrorists used our own civilian
Jewish lobbyists who took millions airplanes against us,” said a former
10. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/18/magazine/what-the-muslim-world-is-watching.html
11. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/09/18/qatar-targeted-rabbi-shmuley-wife-with-hacking-attacks-report/
12. See PDF attached / in online article link
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How Oil and Gas Gave Rise to Qatar's Power
Qatar is a small arm of land, roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, which
reaches out some 160km (100 miles) into the Arabian Gulf. It has been ruled
by the Al Thani dynasty since 1825, with various degrees of autonomy under
Ottoman Turkish and British imperial rules.
T
echnically independent after
World War I, in practice
Qatar became a British
Trucial State in 1916 following the
Allied victory in “the war to end
all wars.” When British explorers
found high-quality oil and gas
there in 1940,
13
the Qatar Petroleum
Company was formed, resulting in
the emirate’s slow transformation
from a colonial waystation largely
populated by fishermen, herders
and traders with a way of life little
changed since the peninsula’s
Neolithic origins into a modern
superpower offering a strategic
energy source.
POWER WALK: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani arriving at Bole
By 1949, Qatar was
exporting its petroleum products International Airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2017 (REUTERS)
to Europe. To this day, energy sales
remain the emirate’s largest source
of income. As the British retreated Gulf emirates in the 1960s and 1970s, clan has continued to rule.
from the Middle East, yielding Qatar secured full independence Since gaining
modern-day Bahrain and other from the crown in 1971. The Al Thani independence, Qatar has
discouraged opposition political
parties and has dealt firmly, even
with peaceful dissidents. Its
people have little say in setting
the country’s policies or in
writing its laws.
Qatar’s constitutional
rights are shared as sparingly as
in apartheid-era South Africa or
Ian Smith’s Rhodesia. Only Qatari
citizens — roughly one-sixth of its
legal population — can purchase
land or participate in government
decision-making. The courts are
controlled by the ruling family;
the final legal appeal is to the
emir, personally. Open criticism
OIL RICHES: Outside the Qatar Petroleum HQ in Doha (REUTERS) of the emir, or his family or his
13. https://qp.com.qa/en/Pages/Home.aspx
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CATALYST: The discovery of the underwater Pars gas field — the world's largest — transformed the politics of the Middle East15
ministers, is a crime 14
according To be sure, Qatar’s Pars gas field — an underwater
to its constitution. neighbors have similarly poor territory larger than the land mass
Yet, for years, Qatar human-rights records and lack of Qatar itself, and the world’s
largely escaped criticism from independent courts, and its largest gas field — transformed
human-rights activists, and the non-citizens do not enjoy the Qatar and the politics of the
Western media portrayed it as a same legal rights as in Western Middle East. The sea-covered
typical Gulf state: increasingly democracies. (By contrast, Arab field is now divided into two
prosperous, politically quiet and Israelis can buy land, vote in major parts, the North Dome and
aligned with the West. Both elections, run for office and enjoy the South Pars fields.
the ruling class and Western identical legal protections to This discovery made Qatar
intellectuals essentially asked the their fellow Jewish countrymen.) much richer than any of the other
same question: With all its modern Then, suddenly, an Gulf states (except for its largest
infrastructure, free schooling underwater discovery set Qatar neighbor, Saudi Arabia), and
and free medical care, why do apart from its equally wealthy, enabled it to play a much larger
Qatar’s people need elections and unfree neighbors. The 1990 role on the global stage. It did not
government accountability? discovery of the vast offshore wait long to seize its moment.
14. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2013/jun/25/qatar-12-things-you-need-to-know
15. Source: “Qatar ‘rises above’ its region: Geopolitics and the rejection of the GCC gas market,” Jim Krane and Stephen Wright, Kuwait
Programme on Development, Governance and Globalisation in the Gulf States, London School of Economics and Politics, March 2014,
Number 35
7 7
Buying its Way as a World Influencer
Qatar soon used its vast new wealth to buy influence across the Arab world.
Once hundreds of miles of undersea pipelines were completed in 1995, the
petrodollars began flooding in and Qatar’s regional influence rose with the tide.
T
he Al Jazeera media
empire, owned and
controlled by the Al Thani
family foundation, was launched
that same year. The timing is no
coincidence.
The ruling family used
its newfound money to broker
agreements across the Muslim
world, and began to fund its
television channel to influence
Muslim opinion, first in Arabic
and then in English (the language
of many of South Asia’s Muslims,
as well as immigrant populations
in Western Europe and North
America — in fact, only 313,000 INGRATIATING: President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan (left) welcomes Sheikh Tamim bin
[2017 figures] of Qatar’s 2.69
Hamad al-Thani (center), 2014 (REUTERS)
million residents are actually
citizens; the remainder are
expatriates and immigrants who
hail from India, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar’s rulers bought a huge estate in Yemen, Bashir told me in an
Europe, Southeast Asia and other on Africa’s Atlantic coast that interview in Khartoum in 2017 that
Arab lands). was once owned by relatives of he would not abandon his friends
Today, Qatar is the world’s Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. in Qatar. Meanwhile, Qatar is
largest exporter of liquefied They then gifted it back to the funding the Houthi rebels in Yemen,
16
natural gas (a.k.a. LNG), making royal family, alleging overpayment who are fighting its internationally
it one of the wealthiest nations by some $500 million to reward recognized government.
on Earth on a per-capita basis other royal family members who In Syria, Qatar has funded
(earning an $125,000 income, the were bickering over the money the elements of the al-Nusra Front,
17
highest in the world). Together, estate would fetch. This in turn which is affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Qatar’s money and its Al Jazeera helped secure Morocco’s support Qatar also paid Iran-backed Syrian
broadcasts (the name means “the To Mauritania in the south, extremists
18
a ransom the New York
peninsula” in Arabic) gave the Qatar also lavished money on Times estimates ranges between
tiny emirate enormous influence. imams and funded the expansion of $770 million and $1 billion,
It became, as one retired CIA a Muslim Brotherhood chapter. delivered in numerous black nylon
official told me, the “mouse that In Sudan, Qatar’s diplomats duffel bags, for the return of 17 Al
could roar.” Its leonine rumble mediated the conflagration in the Thani family members who were
was soon heard in nearly every Darfur region, paying the major kidnapped while on a week-long
conflict in the Muslim world, tribes not to war with each other — falcon hunt in the Iraqi desert. Such
even disputes centered thousands thus ending a genocide while buying a ransom could fund a terror army
of miles from its shores. tremendous influence with Sudan’s for decades.
For example, as Moroccan president, Omar al-Bashir. Even as Qatar also shares its
officials in Rabat told me in 2018, his soldiers fought Qatari proxies largest gas field with Iran,
16. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/06/qatar-north-dome-iran-south-pars-glance-lng-gas-field-170614131849685.html
17. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/22/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-emir-boycott.html
18. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/magazine/how-a-ransom-for-royal-falconers-reshaped-the-middle-east.html
8
POWER PLAY: above left, Nasser al-Khelaifi with former UK soccer star David Beckham in 2013 (REUTERS) and right,
Khelaifi (seated) with members of the PSG soccer team at a press conference with
Accor Hotels in Paris, February 2019 (REUTERS)
20
football” ; London’s luxury and
commercial buildings (for example,
Canary Wharf Group Investment
Holdings is majority-owned
by Qatari Holdings — making
it London’s
21
largest property
owner, according to research
data firm Datscha.com); and U.S.
documentary television channel
Al Jazeera America — part of the
Al Jazeera media empire — which
was subsequently pulled amid
claims of sexism and anti-Semitism
while failing to gain22 sufficient U.S.
audience numbers.
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Qatar’s Nasser Khelaifi and Hollywood actor
Leonardo DiCaprio watch the 2013 men’s single semi-finals (REUTERS)
and its financial ties with the conflict across North Africa, the
Islamic Republic are intricately Middle East and South Asia.
interwoven. Qatar’s strategic A full
Qatar’s banks make loans to
Iran and its merchants sell Iranians
investments include top
European football (soccer)
accounting of Qatar's
a large amount of televisions, teams Málaga Club de vast diplomatic initiatives
computers and other electronic
goods; Iranians also factor among
Futbol (CF), owned by
Sheikh Abdullah ben
would fill pages — its
Qatar’s mostly expatriate populace Nasser Al Thani, and money and influence
(Qataris only comprise 11–12%
of the population, with 30,000 19
Paris Saint Germain
(PSG), acquired via the
show up in every conflict
Iranians accounting for 1.50%). Qatar Sports Initiative across North Africa,
A full accounting of Qatar's
vast diplomatic initiatives would
(QSi) headed by Qatari
government minister Nasser
the Middle East and
fill pages. In short, its money Khelaifi — the “most South Asia”
and influence show up in every powerful man in French
19. http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/
20. https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/top-5-football-clubs-owned-by-billionaire-arabs/5
21. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/03/17/qataris-london-queen/
22. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/al-jazeera-america-news-channel-to-close-up-shop/2016/01/13/aa3ab180-ba1f-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_
story.html?utm_term=.f60dc1d3f37a
9
Setting the Stage for Non-Neighborly
Contention in the Region
Naturally, Qatar’s sudden rise to regional leadership has provoked the ire of
larger Arab states, especially that of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, whose heads
tend to see themselves as the natural leaders of the Arab world.
B
eing the Arab world’s collision course with them. since the start of the Iraq War in
richest nation, Saudi Arabia Increasingly, Qatar’s diplomatic March 2003.
controls Islam’s shrines wins often seem to come at Saudi By contrast, Qatar has
in Mecca and Medina, while and Egyptian expense. Even tried to simultaneously support
Egypt is home to approximately Qatar’s biggest prize — a U.S.23 both the U.S. and her enemies.
one-quarter of the world’s Arab military base at the Al Udeid Air So, while Qatar hosts a U.S. air
population, and its novels and Base — was the result of U.S. base base — home to some 11,000
televised novellas are a huge closure in Saudi Arabia. American servicemen, from
influence driving Arab culture. Worse still, from the Saudi which U.S. warplanes strike
Qatar’s newfound wealth and Egyptian perspectives, Qatar targets in Afghanistan, Syria
and its Al Jazeera satellite often seemed to be working and Iraq — it also once housed
channel allowed it to compete at cross-purposes with Saudi’s Khalid Sheikh24
Mohammed, the
— financially, diplomatically, absolute monarchy and Egypt’s mastermind of the September
militarily and culturally — with military dictatorship. Saudi 11 attacks, and currently
25
shelters
the claims to regional leadership Arabia and Egypt have generally members of Hamas and other
of both Saudi Arabia and aligned themselves with the U.S. terrorist groups that have killed
Egypt, putting it on a direct and its diplomatic initiatives Americans.
PRIZE ASSET: U.S. Secretary Rex Tillerson steps off the plane at Al Udeid Air Base — Qatar’s
biggest diplomatic asset — October 2017 (REUTERS)
23. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/us-qatar-support-udeid-air-base/
24. http://time.com/4665163/barack-obama-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-letter-september-11/
25. https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/08/04/hamass-bffs/
10
Q
atar remains one of the largest
26
funders
of the Muslim Brotherhood, which
was founded in Egypt in 1928 by
Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna, whose vision
was to create a universal Islamic system of rule
by promoting Islamic laws and morals through 27
social services. This group has since spawned
virtually every radical Islamist group in the
past half-century, including al-Qaeda, the
Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Qatar fell from the high wire of official
neutrality in 2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates
announced a blockade, closing their land,
sea and air ports to trade with Qatar and
withdrawing their ambassadors. Qatar’s Arab TERROR MONGER: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the
neighbors cited a list of reasons, including mastermind behind the 9/11 attack (FBI/WikiCommons)
Qatar’s support for international terrorism and
its close relationship with Iran, which the Gulf Even before the 2017 boycott began, Qatar
Arab states regard as a mortal enemy. heard prominent Americans and Europeans call
While the U.S. and EU have tried to for a tougher line on the gas-rich peninsula. As a
remain strictly neutral in the Qatar–Gulf Arab result, Qatar began to compile an “enemies list.”
boycott, Qatar’s rulers feared their neutrality It would not be long before it found a
would not last long. They are savvy enough way to strike at its distant perceived foes,
to know that shifts in Western public opinion utilizing the Internet to allow it to deny all
often produce shifts in government policy. responsibility.
Fear in the Spear: Qatar’s Use of Spear-Phishing
Qatar began to launch its systematic cyber warfare campaign against more
than a thousand victims in North America, Europe, the Middle East and India
in the past four years.
A
s the weakness of book, the target will click on the Next, as some unsuspecting,
countermeasures has proved email, which then launches a virus- scoop-hungry and credulous
ineffective against these like program that will transmit all journalists suddenly find this
tactics, eyewitnesses have revealed their private emails to their attacker. treasure trove in their email inbox,
how this new world of cyber warfare Then those emails will be they will contact the prey for
and diplomacy poses 28
a risk to catalogued by topic and recipient, comment. Sometimes a demeaning
democracy itself. Across29its more and combed over for embarrassing or destructive story is subsequently
than 1,200 cyber victims, Qatar has admissions, financial irregularities or published, which will quickly
used the same pattern over and over: illicit relationships. As any damaging metastasize from one news outlet
first, it sends a spear-phishing email dirt is found, it is then circulated to to another, instantly devouring the
to an unsuspecting target. Since this journalists at New York Times, The prey’s good name. At other times,
looks like an ordinary email from Washington Post, the Associated Press reporters are unable to verify the
someone in the quarry’s address and other major news outlets. email contents independently, so
26. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/muslim-brotherhood-explained-170608091709865.html
27. https://www.hudson.org/research/13787-the-rise-of-the-violent-muslim-brotherhood
28. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-09-18/russian-hackers-aren-t-the-only-ones-to-worry-about
29. https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/09/30/EXCLUSIVE-Why-the-fight-against-Qatar-s-US-cyber-attacks-is-not-over-yet.html11
no story is published. But the reporter’s phone call, by
itself, would send the prey an intimidating message:
that it is risky and reckless to oppose Qatar.
Either by shaming or destroying Qatar’s
perceived enemies, such spear-phishing techniques
have undermined much of the opposition to the
emirate’s policies inside Western democracies.
According to DigitalGuardian.com, spear-
phishing is the most successful form of acquiring
confidential information
30
on the Internet, accounting
for 91% of attacks. Unfortunately, with such a
dangerous precedent being set, nothing can stop Iran,
North Korea or other rogue nations from adopting the
same playbook. Indeed, they may already be doing so…
IP ADDRESSES: The list shows the trail of VPNs registered to Qatar
while eluding detection by intelligence services.
SHORTENED LINKS USED IN SPEAR-PHISHING DATA SHOWS ATTACKERS' TARGETS
SPEAR-PHISHING TACTICS: The charts above and below show how spear-phishing is done. Note that phishing attacks are not
tailored to the victim, while spear-phishing attacks are
DECODED NOTES SHOW TARGETS TRACKED AND ATTACKED
30. https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-is-spear-phishing-defining-and-differentiating-spear-phishing-and-phishingSNARED: Robin and Elliott Broidy in 2012, during happier times (Alex Berliner/
ABImages, via Associated Press)
Qatar’s Prominent Cyber Victims in North
America: The Elliott Broidy Case
E
lliott Broidy, a self-made Private Network Service providers Once the target clicked on the
successful entrepreneur and registered in different countries, “OPEN DRIVE,” he was directed
Beverly Hills-based financier, including Russia, Cyprus, the United to a Google webpage that asked
was Deputy Finance Chairman Arab Emirates and the U.K. him to verify his own password.
of the Republican National However, their plan fell The hackers on the other side were
Committee and a close friend of apart when a glitch occurred for waiting. Once the unsuspecting
President Trump. several minutes, revealing the victim typed in his password,
Broidy was also known to be central launch point and IP address it is over — the cybercrime has
a very outspoken critic of Qatar, (78.100.98.177), which was registered been committed and the victim’s
citing its human-rights record, under Qatar’s main internet service credentials have been stolen.
financial support for terrorism and provider, Ooredoo — a company The pace of phony emails
closeness to Iran — a theocratic mostly owned by members of the Al accelerated between Dec. 28, 2017
state that is developing nuclear Thani royal family. and Jan. 4, 2018 in what Broidy’s
devices and the long-range rockets Spear-phishing emails first friend described as “almost
to carry them. Broidy’s combination appeared in the inboxes of a nonstop attempts to spear-phish
of political connections, personal longtime friend of Broidy and his me, including text messages
views and indiscretions made him wife on Dec. 27, 2017. The emails purportedly from Google tech
the perfect target for Qatar’s spear- seemed to be from legitimate support.” Eventually, the cyber
phishing efforts. sources or contacts in their predators breached Broidy’s e-mail
Jassim al Thani, a Qatari respective email address books. servers for the first time on Jan.
spokesman and member of the Still, these initial attacks 4, 2018. Broidy’s friend fell victim
ruling family, calls Broidy’s claims failed. One of the emails sent shortly thereafter.
“completely fabricated and to Broidy’s friend subsequently Once the emails were
without merit.” 31 appeared to be a well-designed harvested, phony documents were
In an attempt to hide their email from the BBC news network distributed. The Institute for Law
locations and the origin of the with the subject line “Saudi Foreign and Society, a sham Ukrainian think
attack, the hackers used a Virtual Ministry Leaked Documents.” tank,32 published a report on Jan. 25,
31. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-24/broidy-s-expanded-hack-allegations-fault-ex-spy-emir-s-brother
32. http://ils.ooo/en13
2018, accusing Broidy of engaging Al Jazeera was not far behind. biased story had suddenly appeared
in business that would have put Its reporter phoned Broidy’s in countless major news outlets
him in violation of U.S. sanctions executive assistant on March around the globe.
in Russia. (The fraud was crude. 6, 2018, saying he was seeking The AP attacks kept coming.
Broidy had never done business comment on the hacked emails. On March 26, 2018, LoBianco
in Russia and had no government He refused to leave his name, published another long story on
contacts there. But it was hard a call-back number or other Broidy35 based on his stolen emails.
to prove a negative, as victims contact information, making it Broidy maintained that some or
soon learn.) The documents cited impossible for Broidy to respond all of the emails were actually
in the report were later found to the allegations. Nevertheless, forged. He patiently explained
to be forged, likely by a foreign the mysterious “reporter” left the evidence over and over again.
intelligence service. this intimidating message: “Your Yet nothing could stop the media
Other journalists also reputation is about to be further feeding frenzy.
received mysterious emails, too. maligned in international media.” Next, Washington Post White
On Feb. 7, 2018, Ben Wieder of The following day, Al Jazeera House reporter Josh Dawsey
McClatchy — a chain that operates ran a story34 on the forged Russian phoned Broidy’s staff on April
31 daily newspapers in 29 U.S. docs without including an effective 4. He appeared to be the first
markets and boasts an average denial from Broidy or pointing out journalist to receive physical
weekday circulation of nearly two that the documents were “provably print-outs of hacked emails, rather
million Americans33 — published an false” and “complete forgeries.” than PDFs, and indicated he was
article accusing Broidy of various A few days later, a negative preparing a major story. Wall Street
misdeeds, based on purported story by Associated Press reporter Journal reporter Bradley Hope
copies of his private emails. Then, Tom LoBianco and his colleague, then contacted Broidy on April 18,
on or about Feb. 25, 2018, PDF Bradley Klapper, appeared on saying he was investigating Broidy
copies of Broidy’s hacked emails the AP website. The Associated based on what he had received of
begin appearing in the email Press reaches some two billion Broidy’s purloined private emails.
inboxes of journalists in New York people across the world per day, It is worth noting that every
and Washington, D.C. according to its website. Its wire reporter in this chain seemingly had
Within the next few days, service is used by virtually every a separate angle, a little “exclusive”
Wieder received forged Russian major newspaper, broadcast and drawn from different sections of the
documents, distributed by ILS. online news outlet in the United private emails. This meant that the
But as soon as Wieder began States, Europe, Australia and Asia victim would have to simultaneously
working on the story, he was — therefore, it was strategically contend with multiple bogus claims.
scooped by his competition. vital to the cyberattack. A single It was like fighting the hydra of
ancient Greek mythology, a multi-
headed serpent which, as soon as
you cut off one head, it immediately
grows two more.
Even Broidy, a man with vast
personal resources and longtime
personal relationships with the
president and other key White
House personnel, was powerless
to stop the largely baseless attacks
in the media. He has vowed to
hold those accountable for the
campaign against him in the
court of law, and has relentlessly
SCOOPED: McClatchy journalist Ben Wieder (from his Twitter profile) received pursued his attackers. How could
forged Russian documents from ILS, but was scooped by his competition a lesser mortal possibly survive
such an onslaught?
33. https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/McClatchy_Newspapers
34. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/trump-donor-ukraine-criminal-probe-180307124432781.html [Note: date appears later here]
35. https://www.apnews.com/b4946f7bf1fe4328b0c81506434aa082BOLLYWOOD BASHING: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher (left) and Indian director Mahesh Bhatt
(right) were among 52 Indian celebs who were also targeted (REUTERS)
Other Prominent Hacking Victims’ Stories
Broidy’s story is similar to that of many other hacking victims. But while
Broidy’s proximity to President Trump made him a lightning rod for the
hackers, some received only a few negative mentions in the press.
A
nd while this appears to Relations Affairs Committee director Sasha Ghosh Simonoff;
be largely a result of their Founder and President Salman and People Demand Change
relative obscurity, it does Al-Ansari; The Syria Campaign co-founder and former Syrian
not take away from the impact (“Americans for a Free Syria”) diplomat Bassam Barabandi
of the hacking on the victims’ advocacy manager Kenan — all of whom have been
personal lives and freedom — Rahmani; Syrian Center outspoken in their opposition
clearly, even relative obscurity for Media and Freedom of to Syria’s Assad government
cannot serve as an effective shield Expression executive director (which is backed by Iran and
against cyberattacks. and The Syrian Observer editor- Qatar). They, too, were targeted
Consider the case of eight in-chief Wael Sawah; Lebanese- and maligned in the media,36as
U.S-based Syrian dissidents and born, Washington, D.C.-based reported in the Daily Beast.
other vocal Arab-Americans political activist Khaled Saffuri, Rahmani’s LinkedIn profile
— Jihad Makdissi, former Syrian noted for his comments on was mocked and alleged to contain 37
Foreign Ministry spokesman; the Jamal Khashoggi case; several bogus claims on a website
Syria Emergency Task Force People Demand Change Inc. claiming to be the “The Real
Managing Director Mouaz executive director and former Syrian Free Press,” which alleged
Moustafa; Saudi American Public Syrian Emergency Task Force Rahmani didn’t really attend law
36 https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-did-qatar-try-to-hack-syrian-opposition-leader
37. https://syrianfreepress.wordpress.com15
worry about the Qataris.” the New York Times contacted
Former Cairo-based Al me in 2016 to inform me he had
Jazeera English bureau chief received a flash drive from an
Mohamed Fahmy, an award- anonymous source including
winning Canadian-Egyptian copies of my stolen emails.
investigative reporter who was “Once some of the content of
jailed in Egypt in 2014 on alleged my emails surfaced in the story he
terrorism charges and sentenced wrote, the next day Al Jazeera went
to seven years’ imprisonment, all out with back-to-back coverage
had a falling out with the Qatari- about some of the content of the
owned media network and emails. Interestingly, Al Jazeera
subsequently sued his employer. disclosed information that was on
While behind bars during the flash drive but had not been
the 438 days of his incarceration, included in the article published in
Fahmy overheard eye-opening the New York Times.
SYRIAN CRISIS: Kenan Rahmani confessions from members of “I learned later from my own
(from his LinkedIn profile) was the Muslim Brotherhood, who investigations that this is a trend the
one of several U.S.-based Syrian told him endless stories of their Qatari intelligence uses to distance
dissidents who were also targeted cooperation with the Qatari-owned themselves from the cybercrime by
Al Jazeera network. Fahmy has handing the goods
and maligned in the press since decried this unethical and to other
illegal relationship as being far news
school in Washington, D.C.
38
as he from the fundamentals of
is “never there.” Sawah admitted journalism that landed
surprise at Qatari attempts to him in prison.
hack his account, affirming that The Qataris
Doha assaults anyone against its launched an I learned later from my
ally, the al-Nusra Front. extremely well- own investigations that
Siminoff believes he organized
and Barabandi were targeted plan to steal this is a trend the Qatari
because of their communication Fahmy’s emails, intelligence uses to distance
with the Turkish government assassinate
over the Syrian opposition, his character themselves from the cybercrime
specifically trying to comprehend and discredit by handing the goods to other
Qatar’s involvement, including him in a cyber-
its connections to Jabhat al- espionage news outlets and sourcing it to
Nusra and HTS in Syria (as an operation, which them when reporting the
independent analyst who prefers
to remain anonymous explained,
Fahmy reported to
the Canadian police news on Al Jazeera”
“Every time we follow a deal in 2016. —Mohamed Fahmy
between Iran and pro-Iran militias Fahmy explained, “I
and Islamic extremists in Syria, we deleted many of the spear-
find Qatari money”). phishing emails I received that outlets
In a strange twist of irony, were clearly very well tailored to my and sourcing
Siminoff says that while he interests as a journalist and human it to them when reporting the
formerly helped train Syrians rights advocate, but I must have news on Al Jazeera — their most
to avoid cyber traps laid by the unknowingly fallen for one of them. cherished foreign policy tool and
[Assad] regime or the Iranians, “I “I found out about it when the dagger they use against the
never thought we’d also have to journalist David Kirkpatrick from critics of Qatar.”
38. https://qatarileaks.com/arSTARSTRUCK: Qatar recently acquired leading independent film producer Miramax Films, seen
here receiving a 2008 “Best Picture” Oscar for “No Country for Old Men” (REUTERS)
A
nother prominent hacking This list featured prominent querying its political activities.
target was Mr. Ronald Tamil actor Arun Vijay, Tollywood However, as Qatar has
Sandee, a former analyst actors Mahesh Babu and Manjima strategically invested in
in the Dutch military intelligence Mohan, and Trisha some 38 media and
who now serves as co-founder Krishnan, all of whom sports channels in
of Amsterdam-based advisory reported hacks of geographically
and consultancy firm Blue Water their personal social diverse
Intelligence.39 media accounts. This massive locations
As Sandee explained in an Added to across
interview with TIJ, “It is clear the the 48 other hacking operation, Europe,
hack targeted Qatar’s enemies and Bollywood which might still be Asia and
friends alike. Qatar targeted its actors North
own clients in Syria, the Muslim identified on ongoing, can only be America —
Brotherhood, to keep control of the list, Qatar done by governments” its including
their activities. But targeting U.S. is suspected of 2016
citizens on U.S. soil should not be hacking — or —Ronald Sandee, Blue purchase of
without repercussions. being in league Water Intelligence Hollywood’s
“This massive hacking with Turkey-based Miramax Films
operation, which might still be cyber groups ProPak — the hacks could
ongoing, can only be done by and Ayyildiz Tim to hack be symptomatic of
governments.” Sandee confirmed — the accounts of actors Abishek the emirate’s ambitions to
he continues to research the hack. Bachchan, Karan Johar, Rishi rule the global media sphere.
As Sandee pointed out, Kapoor, Rakul Preet, Sruti Haasan, With 43% of the film box-
even Bollywood (including its Ali Zafar, Boney Kapoor, Anupam office revenues made in India,
Tamil Nadu equivalent, known as Kher, Amitabh Bachchan, Arshad Bollywood’s substantial earnings
Kollywood, and the Telangu variant, Warsi, Hansika and Shadi Kapoor, and influence would easily place it
Tollywood), was not immune and Indian director Mahesh Bhatt. on Qatar’s hit list of rivals. As there
to Qatar’s cyber wrath. Some It is not clear exactly is also a sizeable Indian immigrant
52 Bollywood actors, actresses, why Qatar would wish to hack population — approximately
directors, film executives and other these Indian celebs as, unlike its 650,000 — living and working in
cinema personnel were targeted by other targets, none have been Qatar, the hacks could be part of
Qatar’s hackers, as confirmed40by a particularly noted for speaking a larger plan to wield influence on
list in The American Spectator. out against the emirate or publicly the subcontinent and abroad.
39 https://blue-water-intelligence.com
40. https://spectator.org/exclusive-the-india-files-dozens-of-bollywood-and-tollywood-actors-targeted-and-hacked-by-qatar/
#.XGcmEFzuhXs.twitter17
A Not-So-Sporting Player
In addition to the Bollywood hacking assault, eight Egyptian soccer players
were also targeted: Abdallah Said, Ahmed Saed, Ahmed Salama, Ayman
Refaat, Islam Saleh, Mahmoud Hamdi al-Wensh, Mohamed Abdel Fattah,
and Egypt and Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shenawy, each of whom had
their private email correspondences stolen.
A
s per its Bollywood
victims, there does not at
first glance appear to be
any motive for Qatar in targeting
these individuals, apart from its
strategic power-playing in the
sports arena, both regionally
and abroad.
As Sandee commented:
“The targeting of a group of
young football41 players by this
Qatari hacking operation is
disturbing. What are the Qataris
looking for? Do they try to find
dirt so they can blackmail these
players when are participating
in 2022 World Cup Football? Do
they try to find weaknesses so
they have leverage when they
try these players out for Paris
Saint Germain? Or is there even
a darker agenda behind these
specific hacking targets?”
The “darker agenda”
Sandee alluded to shows up
in another of the emirate’s
sports connections. Qatar has
not only established itself as a
major player in European soccer
through its purchase of PSG and
Málaga CF, but also through its
BeIn Sports media channels —
formerly known as Al Jazeera
Sports — which includes local
variants such as BeIN Sports
France and BeIn Sports Spain.
After the Doha-based
network obtained exclusive STUNG: Egypt and Al Ahli goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shenawy, seen here during
rights to broadcast major the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was one of eight Egyptian soccer players targeted by a
football leagues such as the Qatar-led email hack (Кирилл Венедиктов / WikiCommons)
41. https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/11/qatar-hacks-egyptian-soccer-players/18
targeted Broidy as an act of
retaliation because of his influence
The targeting of a group on Trump.
Speculating on the rationale
of young football players is for the attack on the soccer
disturbing. What are the Qataris players, David Reaboi, senior
vice president 44
at the Security
looking for? Do they try to find dirt Studies Group in Washington,
so they can blackmail these players D.C., said: “These actions are fully
in line with Qatar's subversive
when they are participating in the 2022 policy, in addition to the billions
World Cup Football? Or is there an spent by Qatar in organizing
the World Cup, and their clear
even darker agenda behind these willingness to do all the suspicious
specific hacking targets?” things to ensure access to the
— Ronald Sandee organization and to use football as
an instrument of influence.
“There are many reasons for
Qatar to penetrate the means of
communication for known people,
including silencing critics, and in
FIFA World this case, maybe to influence the
Cup, the UEFA Egyptian players to sabotage the
Europa League and Egyptian team.”
the English Premier League, As in Qatar’s other cyber
its Arab power rival, Saudi warfare strategies, “sabotage” is
Arabia, disappointed sports fans clearly the name of the game.
by blocking the channel from
broadcasting the 2018 World
Cup, threatening a 10,000 riyal
($2,746) fine to any hotel that 42
refused to censor the network.
The Saudi-initiated Doha
blockade was followed by other
There are many reasons for
43
Gulf states (the UAE, Egypt Qatar to penetrate the means of
and Bahrain, among others),
escalating in a diplomatic
communication for known people,
row over Qatar’s financial including silencing critics; in this
backing of media channels
and its support for Iran and
case, maybe to influence the
the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian players to sabotage
the Egyptian team"
T
he Gulf blockade was
also publicly backed
— David Reaboi, Institute for Security Studies
by Trump, who accused
Qatar of supporting terrorism
and cited Elliott Broidy as a
key influence in his policy. As
Qatar was subsequently hit with
international sanctions, it appears
the emirate may have specifically
42. https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/6/13/saudi-arabia-blocks-qatari-owned-bein-sports-channel
43. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40246734
44. https://securitystudies.org19
Ambassador Lee Wolosky Cracks the Hackers’ Code
Broidy’s story is similar to that of many other hacking victims. But while
Broidy’s proximity to President Trump made him a lightning rod for the
hackers, some received only a few negative mentions in the press.
A
s soon as Elliott Broidy
realized he was being
cyberattacked, he spared
no time in fighting back, quickly
hiring prominent Boies Schiller
Flexner, LLP lawyer and former
U.S. Special Envoy to Guantànamo
Lee Wolosky, who filed a lawsuit in
California in March 2018 against
Qatar and their agents in the U.S.
They worked in tandem
with Anukura and Adlumin, two
of the most prominent cyber
intelligence firms in the world —
which worked on the DNC hack
among other cases — to assist HACK CRACKER: Broidy hired Boies Schiller Flexner, LLP lawyer and former U.S.
in uncovering how the hackers Special Envoy to Guantànamo Lee Wolosky to represent him in his suit against Qatar
carried out their misdeeds.
Of the unique lawsuit, hundreds of people targeted failed, and our technical people
which attempted to hold a foreign and who is behind it: “The IP were able to see through —
government accountable in a addresses came off the Broidy’s directly to the originating internet
U.S. court for digital espionage capital management server, which, protocol address.
45
operations, Wolosky said that like many servers, logs off all of “It was sort of like someone
hacking into a U.S. citizen’s emails the internet protocol addresses operating behind the curtain and
is a criminal offense, but it is that seek access to the server. then the curtain falls down, and
tantamount to “an act of war when “And what that revealed was you’re able to see who’s behind
such an attack is orchestrated by a a very sophisticated computer- the curtain. And in those cases,
foreign government.” hacking operation that used we saw the use of a single internet
Wolosky is a seasoned VPNs all over the world to try protocol address in Doha, Qatar,
litigator, crisis manager and and disguise the origin of the as standing behind the curtain.”
counterterrorism official who has computer attacks. US-based company Tiny
served under the past three U.S. “What this means, in Url, a shortening web service that
presidents in significant national simple terms, is that the attackers provides short aliases for redirection
security positions. In 2016 he was bounced their internet traffic of long URLs, was among the
accorded the personal rank of of computer servers all over the companies that had to comply with
Ambassador by then-President world. Really, in most continents, the court’s order and cooperate with
Obama, who called on Wolosky we found thousands of computer the investigation.
to lead U.S. diplomatic efforts to servers even just within the United Essentially, the investigation
close the U.S. detention facility in States that were used to try and into how the hackers used
Guantànamo Bay, Cuba. disguise their activities. thousands of “Tiny Urls” led to
Wolosky explained to TIJ “However, in a couple of the revelation that this crime was
in an interview how this lawsuit instances, their obfuscation not only directed against Broidy,
unraveled the data about the techniques failed. The VPNs but also towards the thousands to
45. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/24/elliott-broidy-qatar-email-hack-60797020
whom the corrupt links were sent. It's really some notes that were indicated next
Wolosky, in his legal battle only states, in to their targets, and these were the
on behalf of Broidy, succeeded in notes of the attackers saying what
convincing the court to issue 80 our experience, that they wanted to do.
subpoenas in his quest to pinpoint have the resources “In some cases, the hackers
the cyber thieves: “We were able created fake emails based on
to get all of the data used by this to run an operation the general narrative of the real
group over a one-year period from of this size and emails, so you’re talking about an
May 2017 to June 2018 through the operation that involved probably
U.S. legal practice of subpoena. magnitude” thousands of people, certainly
“When we got that data and — Ambassador Lee hundreds of people in order to do
decoded it, we were able to see Wolosky email all this work.
all the fake emails and all the fake accounts “And it’s really only states,
addresses that were used by the and the fake emails, we were in our experience, that have the
group in targeting particular email able to see exactly who was targeted resources to run an operation of
accounts — real email accounts. by their email address, and when this size and this magnitude and
“As a result of obtaining the they were targeted — we even saw sophistication.”
MASTERMIND?: Broidy's suit claimed UN Special Adviser on Yemen Jamal Benomar (pictured)
became the mastermind behind the Qatari hacking plot (REUTERS)
Masterminds of the Hack Named in Broidy’s Lawsuit
During the lawsuit, Broidy asserted that the hack's ring leader was former
high-ranking UN diplomat Jamal Benomar, whom he accused of serving as an
undeclared agent of Qatar46
B
orn in Morocco (but a dual 1980s, nevertheless managing to escape Morocco through
Morocco–UK citizen), to obtain a Bachelor’s and two the interventions of Amnesty
Benomar was a student Master’s degrees from the International, he charmed his way
opposition leader who was Sorbonne while imprisoned. into the UN’s diplomatic corps.
briefly jailed in the 1970s and Eventually, after managing By 2009, the native Arabic speaker
46. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/20/elliott-broidy-jamal-benomar-qatar-73495121
developing the global
target list of Qatar’s
enemies.
Allegedly
working under
Benomar was an
unlikely collection of
failed but ambitious
political manipulators,
including Jewish
Americans Nick
Muzin, former
Deputy Chief of Staff
to U.S. Senator and
presidential aspirant
Ted Cruz, and Joseph
(Joey) Allaham, the
one-time “King of
DOUBLE AGENT: Nick Muzin, a one-time Deputy Chief of Staff to failed kosher” restaurants in
presidential aspirant Ted Cruz, registered with the U.S. as a foreign New York.
agent of Qatar Both Muzin
and Allaham
registered with the
was named UN Special Adviser on Yemen. Benomar became an agent U.S. government as paid foreign
Yemen, a war-torn nation on the working on behalf of Qatar.” agents of Qatar, with Muzin alone
Southeastern edge of the Arabian By some accounts, Benomar receiving $300,000 per month,
Peninsula. Sent to mediate accepted bribes from the Qataris according to Mother Jones.
49
between the embattled regime in equal to $2 million per (After receipt
Sana’a (supported by Saudi Arabia month. After the of Wolosky’s
and the UAE) and the rebels illicit arrangement subpoenas,
(backed by Iran, Qatar and al- became public in Qatar enjoys Muzin and
Qaeda), Benomar soon befriended 2014, Benomar Allaham
the Qataris. was relieved of portraying itself claimed
In 2013, Benomar met his UN post for as a purveyor of they ended
with the Emir of Qatar. Soon reasons that
after, Qatar gave $350 million were not made peace in the region, their work
for Qatar,
to the Yemen Compensation47 public (officially, but nothing could be with an
Fund following the meeting. he resigned in
How this money was spent is April 2015, and further from the embittered-
sounding
of great controversy. Political
48
was reappointed truth” Allaham
analyst Ahmed Sinan has as UN Special — Joey Allaham subsequently
accused Qatar of funding the Adviser at the level of telling Politico that
Yemeni off-shoot of the Egyptian Under Secretary-General in “Qatar enjoys portraying
Muslim Brotherhood, which has November 2015). itself as a purveyor of peace in
historically been at odds with Soon, Benomar found the region, but nothing could be
Saudi Arabia. work directing a cyber-warfare further from the truth.”
Said Sinan, “The sizable consulting firm in London, Yet the Wall Street Journal
donation from the Qataris is a according to Broidy’s court filings, raised questions as to whether
way to decrease Saudi influence in which suspected Benomar of
47. https://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-pledges-350m-yemen-fund-for-sacked-civil-war-workers-517633.html
48. http://hlrn.org/arabic/activitydetails.php?id=o2xnZg==#.XIF91YVzy1s
49. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/06/joey-allaham-nick-muzin-qatar-jewish-leaders/22
Benomar, who left the
U.N. before the alleged hack,
submitted documents stating he is
a Moroccan diplomat, posted to the
North African nation’s mission to
the U.N.
The U.S. recognized
Benomar’s diplomatic immunity
despite the
50
fact he is a permanent
resident of the U.S., which would
normally bar him from a diplomatic
immunity claim. Benomar has
owned property in Georgia and
New York and his wife and children
IMMUNE: Despite his permanent residency in the U.S., Jamal Benomar — legally reside in the U.S.
seen here addressing a UN-facilitated session in 2015 — was given diplomatic Equally mystifying is that
Benomar was also named as a
immunity status (REUTERS)
Member of the Supervisory Board
of Lagardère SCA, a multinational
Muzin and Allaham had given up for a front group linked to former media conglomerate with travel
their lobbying contract.) Ukrainian President Viktor and sports and entertainment
Yanukovych. subsidiaries headquartered in Paris,
A
civil case against Muzin Broidy’s suit cites phone in September 2018. Lagardère is a
and Allaham that was records to back up its charge publicly traded company and 51
Qatar
filed by Elliott Broidy that Howard coordinated the is Lagardère’s top investor.
was eventually dismissed on dissemination of his emails to However, the fact that
reporters at outlets including Benomar is working for a publicly
jurisdictional grounds, but
the Associated Press, The New York traded company such as Lagardère
Broidy’s attorneys refiled the undermines his claim to be working
case in January, adding as a Times, The Washington Post and The
Wall Street Journal. as diplomat for Morocco.
plaintiff Greg Howard of Mercury
Public Affairs (a subsidiary of
global communications giant
Omnicomm).
The new complaint paints the
fullest picture to date of an alleged
globe-spanning conspiracy by
the government of Qatar to hack
the former GOP official’s email.
Mercury’s powerful clients include
the conglomerate controlled by
Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska,
on behalf of which Mercury
lobbied the Trump administration
to ease U.S. sanctions.
Mercury came under
former Federal Bureau of
Investigation director Robert MYSTERY: Benomar joined the Supervisory Board of Lagardère SCA, a
Mueller’s scrutiny for lobbying Paris-based multinational media conglomerate whose top investor is Qatar, in
work arranged by Paul Manafort September 2018 (REUTERS)
50. https://staging.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/15/jamal-benomar-defendant-in-hacking-case-shielded-b/
51. https://www.reuters.com/article/lagardere-qatar-idUSL8N1I55NJYou can also read
