By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2024-10-30 13:45:05 | Updated at 2024-10-30 19:22:37
6 hours ago
The hack-for-hire scandal has been rocking Italian politics and public opinion for days.
By ROSSELLA TERCATIN OCTOBER 30, 2024 14:41
View of the Duomo of Milan. June 6, 2024.
(photo credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli agents, allegedly from Mossad, sought to buy information from an Italian private firm that has been illegally snooping into the lives of politicians, public officials, sports, and media personalities for years, according to Italian police documents quoted by the media on Tuesday.
The hack-for-hire scandal has been rocking Italian politics and public opinion for days since the local prosecutors unveiled the illicit operations and arrested several people, including IT expert Nunzio Samuele Calamucci, 44, over the weekend. The police and prosecutors produced thousands of pages documenting phone calls, meetings, and evidence collected in the office of the Milan-based company, Equalize.
Calamucci and his associates, which included several current or former members of Italian police forces, were able to hack individual phones and devices but also to gain access to police and institutional databases. They charged prices ranging from 250 euros to hack a personal phone to tens of thousands of euros for a dossier on a specific individual.
The targets of Equalize's operations (at times in cooperation with additional companies specialized in security services) included Italian President Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Senate Ignazio La Russa, prominent political leader Matteo Renzi, singer Alex Britti, 2020 Olympic 100 meters champion Marcell Jacobs. Police found 800,000 dossiers in the company's vault.
The company's services were sought after by entrepreneurs, companies and other public figures.
On February 8, 2023, two unidentified Israeli agents visited Equalize's office and were photographed by the Carabinieri who were surveilling the company, the Corriere della Sera reported on Tuesday.
The day before, Calamucci had a conversation about the upcoming meeting with a partner, unaware that the police had already wiretapped his phone.
"They offered me a one-million euro job," Calamucci said.
According to the report by Italian police, the Israeli agents wanted the firm to provide information about the Russian militia Wagner Group and its funding and financial activities in Europe. In addition, they discussed information about Russian cyber attacks conducted by hackers close to the Russian authorities and funding of Russian interests in the Old Continent.
Calamucci highlighted that the Israelis were not acting only on their behalf but also on behalf of additional intelligence agencies. In the phone call, the Italian hacker mentioned the Vatican.
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"They are using half of the data to fight Wagner, while they are giving the other half to the Vatican," he said.
The initial contact between the Israelis and the Italian hackers was allegedly facilitated by a former Carabiniere, Vincenzo (Enzo) De Marchio, who, in a wiretapped call, explained to Calamucci that he first became acquainted with them when he was posted at the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv.
"They have given us 40K until now, through Enzo," Calamucci said, according to the Italian police.
The Italian investigators wrote in their report that De Marzio "provided the group with contacts, foreign intelligence, and very high-profile clients."
According to the police documents, which include thousands of pages, the Israeli agents also offered to share with the Italian firm information about the illicit traffic of Iranian gas in Italy that could be interesting for a different client of Equalize, the Italian energy giant ENI (that in a statement has denied it was aware of any illegal activity at the hands of the firm).
Italian political leaders express concerns
Several Italian political leaders have expressed their concerns as more details about the snooping ring have emerged day after day.
"Intruding into people's private lives and then using the information for financial or political purposes is truly a threat to democracy," said Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani. "We cannot exclude that this information is being used by our geopolitical enemies, like Russia or other countries."
"I'm bitter and hurt for me and my family," Renzi said in an interview with POLITICO. "This is not the first time something like this has happened to me. But as an Italian, I'm angry because this is a threat to democracy and privacy."
