U.S. Treasury Lifts Sanctions on Three Individuals Linked to Intellexa and Predator Spyware

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has removed three individuals linked to the Intellexa consortium and its Predator spyware from the specially designated nationals list, according to OFAC. The individuals named are Merom Harpaz, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, and Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou.

Hamou had been sanctioned by OFAC in March 2024, while Harpaz and Gambazzi were targeted in September 2024 in connection with developing, operating and distributing Predator; the reasons for their removal from the list have not been disclosed.

The Treasury notes that Harpaz was described as a manager of Intellexa S.A., Gambazzi as owner of Thalestris Limited and Intellexa Limited, and Thalestris as the distributor of the spyware and a parent company to Intellexa S.A., with Hamou listed as a key enabler providing managerial services. The article also highlights ongoing concerns about the proliferation of commercial spyware and its risks to the U.S. and its citizens, while some observers call for guardrails to balance security with human rights.