Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto, and the Serbian digital rights group SHARE Foundation published findings on Monday, 19 October, showing that Pegasus spyware, made by Israel's NSO Group, infected the iPhone of Vladan Đokić, rector of the University of Belgrade, during 2026. Separately, prosecutor Rade Bajić received an Apple threat notification on 13 August. He says the warning was repeated later.
“That warning was repeated on 27 August.”
Researchers could not establish whether Bajić's device was actually compromised or which software may have been used, so an infection in his case is not confirmed. Bajić believes his role in the case against senior government officials is why he was targeted.
The surveillance findings come as controversy grows over plans to convert the former Yugoslav military headquarters in Belgrade into a luxury Trump Tower. The project is associated with Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and has faced allegations of political interference and irregularities in removing the site's protected heritage status. Bajić was involved in prosecuting senior government officials in connection with the case. According to the BBC, the General Staff case is one of the larger ones to reach court, and the culture minister is among the defendants.
The findings extend a scandal that surfaced in September, when at least 14 people in Serbia, including student activists and opposition figures, received warnings that they may have been targeted with sophisticated spyware. Politico reports that Citizen Lab confirmed a Pegasus infection in at least one of those cases. The BBC reports that the research groups say the same spyware has been found on the phones of 14 students, activists and opposition politicians since early 2026. Andrijana Ristić, a policy advisor at SHARE Foundation, described the trend to Politico.
“In Serbia, spyware surveillance has steadily expanded from civil society and journalists to student activists, politicians and now university and judicial representatives.”
Đokić supported students during their university blockades and demonstrations from the start, and senior officials and pro-government media have often criticised him. Politico reports that a police raid on his university offices on March 31 saw computers and servers reportedly seized.
Serbia's Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment, although officials had earlier rejected spyware accusations. The BBC reports that the security information agency called the claims 'trivial sensationalism'. NSO did not answer emails. The company says it sells only to governments and has said it would end commercial relations that lead to serious abuses. The United States placed NSO on a blacklist in 2021 after years of reports of alleged human rights violations. Apple confirmed it sent a series of warnings to users on 13 August but gave no direct answers on the Bajić or Đokić cases. Đokić was not available for comment.
The reports came six days before Serbia's parliamentary elections, which fall on Sunday, 25 October. Both men have clashed with the governing Progressive Party, which has faced two years of student-led anti-corruption protests.
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Citizen Lab confirmed a Pegasus infection on the phone of Vladan Đokić, rector of the University of Belgrade. Prosecutor Rade Bajić received an Apple threat notification, but researchers could not confirm his device was compromised.
AI text based on reports by Rzeczpospolita, HotNews.ro, ΣΚΑΪ and other publishers. Published .