By Open Chronicle with agencies
A former Moroccan intelligence officer reportedly offered to provide Spanish authorities with sensitive information about Morocco’s intelligence operations, including claims involving Pegasus spyware, terrorism and organised crime, in exchange for protection from possible extradition to Morocco.
Mehdi Hijaouy, described in Spanish media reports as a former Moroccan intelligence operative, made the approach in 2024 after leaving Morocco following an alleged dispute with members of the country’s intelligence establishment.
According to The Objective, Hijaouy initially went into exile in France before moving to Spain amid concerns for his safety and that of his family.
His reported attempt to cooperate with Spanish authorities eventually involved people connected to another high profile former intelligence official, Hugo Carvajal, the former head of Venezuela’s military intelligence service.
Approach through contacts linked to Hugo Carvajal
During the summer of 2024, Hijaouy reportedly contacted individuals close to Carvajal in an effort to establish a channel with Spanish authorities.
Carvajal had himself become the subject of a major international extradition case. The former Venezuelan intelligence chief was arrested in Spain in 2021 before eventually being extradited to the United States to face charges including drug trafficking and narco terrorism.
According to The Objective, Hijaouy approached a lawyer who had previously been involved in efforts to persuade Carvajal to cooperate with Spanish authorities while Carvajal was attempting to prevent his extradition to the United States.
Hijaouy’s proposal was reportedly straightforward: he claimed to possess valuable knowledge about the workings of Morocco’s intelligence services and was prepared to share it with Spain.
In return, he was seeking protection against the possibility of being extradited to Morocco.
Pegasus allegations reportedly part of the offer
Among the most politically sensitive subjects Hijaouy allegedly offered to discuss was the use of Pegasus spyware against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The Pegasus controversy has been a particularly sensitive issue in Spain because of questions surrounding the targeting of government officials and the origin of the surveillance.
According to the account provided in the source material, Hijaouy also claimed he could provide Spanish authorities with information concerning terrorism and organised crime.
The reported offer reached the public prosecutor’s office at Spain’s Audiencia Nacional through an intermediary.
Documents disclosed by Spanish newspaper ABC reportedly show that an email formally presenting the proposal was sent on October 7, 2024.
Prosecutor’s office responds
The prosecutor’s office replied on October 28, according to the reports.
An assistant to chief prosecutor Jesús Alonso reportedly explained that because the Pegasus affair was already being handled through judicial proceedings, any relevant information would have to be submitted to the investigating judge.
Judge José Luis Calama was handling the investigation.
However, judicial sources quoted by ABC said Hijaouy’s proposed information never reached Calama.
The circumstances surrounding why the information was apparently not passed to the judge remain unclear from the accounts provided.
There is also no indication in the supplied reporting that Spanish authorities independently verified the intelligence Hijaouy claimed to possess.
Former officer reportedly abandons cooperation attempt
After the attempt to establish cooperation with Spanish authorities failed to progress, Hijaouy reportedly began looking for a way to leave Spain.
The Objective reported that Canada and Algeria were among the possible destinations he considered.
He ultimately departed Spain using a combination of maritime and private air travel before arriving in Turkey, according to the report.
Hijaouy subsequently continued to another destination.
His current whereabouts are unknown.
A sensitive intelligence story
The allegations potentially touch on one of the most delicate areas of relations between Spain and Morocco: intelligence cooperation and surveillance.
However, important elements of the story remain based on media reports and accounts attributed to unnamed or judicial sources. The precise nature of Hijaouy’s former role, the intelligence he claimed to possess and the reasons surrounding his departure from Morocco have not been independently established in the information available.
Likewise, the reported offer does not establish that Morocco was responsible for the Pegasus targeting of Sánchez. It indicates only that Hijaouy reportedly claimed he could provide information concerning the episode.
What the case does reveal, according to the Spanish reports, is an unusual attempt by a former intelligence operative to use potentially sensitive information as leverage while seeking protection from extradition.
If the reported account is accurate, Hijaouy’s subsequent disappearance from public view leaves unresolved both his personal fate and the question of what intelligence he may have been prepared to disclose.