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An Iran-linked hacking group has targeted a London-based journalist, posting photos and his ID card and accusing him of being an agent for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
Posting on the Telegram messaging app in a group banned in Israel since February, the Handala Hack cyberattackers posted photos and the ID card of Mojtaba Pourmohsen, 46, a senior correspondent with the UK-based Iran International TV channel, who has penned articles against the regime in Tehran.
The message threatened to expose Pourmohsen and his alleged Mossad handlers, accusing him of operating as a spy for four years and warning him that his alleged message exchanges with the agency, which led much of the covert operations against Iran during the June war, would be exposed.
The hacking group Handala published images of documents and videos from Pourmohsen’s phone
“Your expiration date has long passed,” the message read. “Thinking of texting your Mossad handler again? Go ahead. You’re already burned. Which one should we expose first?”
The hacker went on to list what appeared to be nicknames for the alleged handlers Pourmohsen had been texting. “One more word from you and the silence will be broken … permanently.”
During the 12-day war last month, Israel-linked groups targeted banks and other assets linked to the Iranian regime, causing one of Iran’s state-owned banks to shut down, and destroyed $90 million of cryptocurrencies. It was reported that Tehran hacked into home security and CCTV cameras in major Israeli cities to assess the damage and precision of its missile attacks.
Pourmohsen’s work focused on Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear weapon and the postwar state of the regime’s ballistic and nuclear programme. Two recent articles accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s intelligence organisation of stealing about $21 million in cryptocurrency in March and of transporting weapons to Sudanese armed forces amid the continuing civil war.
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Another Iranian journalist who worked for the Persian-language TV channel was stabbed outside his home last year. Two Romanian nationals were charged for stabbing Pouria Zeraati, who was knifed in the leg in Wimbledon and has since recovered.
Handala Hack, which emerged after the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, has claimed a series of data heists, but its most recent hacking claims have not been verified. Israeli security insiders said the group has claimed “the same” in the past and it was not true. The group’s name appears to be a reference to a cartoon character that has become a symbol for Palestinian resistance and dispossession, also called Handala.
“Mojtaba, we’re not done with you,” the hackers’ message continued. “We have the full list of individuals you’ve interacted with inside the network, along with photos, videos and message logs. If we hear even one more whisper from your so-called ‘resistance voice’, everything gets published.
“We know you’ve been using AI to disguise your voice. But from this moment on, you have no cover. No security.”
According to Iran International, Handala is linked to Iran’s intelligence network. The group also claimed to have breached Israel’s radar systems and stolen information from the country’s Soreq Nuclear Research Centre last April. Israel denied that the breach occurred.
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