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Moroccan former UN diplomat is allegedly involved in a big hacking campaign conducted by Qatar in the United States, revealed American newspaper WND on October the 26th.
According to its revelations, the hacking campaign involves American venture capitalist, Republican fundraiser, and Qatari critic, Elliot Broidy, who filed a lawsuit against Benomar, accusing him of «orchestrating Qatar’s dissemination to the media of Broidy’s stolen emails and other documents in order to damage his reputation».
In more details, the lawsuit lodged by Broidy, known for being close to President Donald Trump, alleges that the Moroccan diplomat hired lobbyists and sent the hacked emails to newspapers, including the Associated Press and New York Times, reports WND.
Elliot Broidy's hacked emails
Indeed, the name of the Moroccan former UN diplomat who served as a special envoy for Yemen and a special adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, appeared in the lawsuit filed on July 2018 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The document indicates that «since the time Plaintiffs filed the First Amended Complaint, discovery has revealed that Qatar maintains a network of undisclosed agents within the United States, and that Mr. Benomar is one such undisclosed agent».
«Discovery has also revealed that Mr. Benomar interacts regularly with those believed to be involved in the attack on Plaintiffs», added the same source, referring to Broidy.
Responding to the case, Benomar’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, sent a letter to the Now York court, indicating that Benomar «specifically counseled Qatar at the request of his home government of Morocco», and that he enjoys «sovereign immunity not only based on Qatar’s immunity as a sovereign, but on Morocco’s immunity as a sovereign as well».
Benomar's immunity
According to Lowell, an American defense attorney who has represented several high-profile defendants, the court in charge of the case «lacks subject matter jurisdiction, and the case must be dismissed, because the alleged actions of Mr. Benomar are protected under derivative sovereign immunity».
However, according to WND Benomar, right after Broidy filed his lawsuit, has allegedly sought the help of the Moroccan Mission to the UN to accredit him as a diplomat. Indeed, in September, the Kingdom «notified the U.S. State Department that Benomar was a Minister Plenipotentiary, said the same source.
The title that Morocco granted to Benomar is expected make him benefit from «complete immunity», argued his lawyer.
However, sources with direct knowledge of the accreditation process told WND that «Benomar’s diplomatic credentials are currently being reviewed by the U.S. Mission». The same source stated that the Moroccan diplomat’s accreditation is studied by American ambassador Nikki Haley.
