Catalan president calls for investigation as spyware targets pro-independence leaders

Pere Aragones says the Spanish government must have known about the spying, but it denies all wrongdoing

The Catalan president has called on the Spanish government to launch an official and independent investigation" into how and why he and more than 60 figures associated with the regional independence movement reportedly had their mobile phones targeted using NSO Group's Pegasus spyware.

Pere Aragones told the Guardian that the alleged targeting, revealed by Citizen Lab cybersecurity experts on Monday, constituted a violation of individual rights, an attack on democracy, and a threat to political dissent.