Here's everything we know about how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia was apparently able to hack Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone

This is the latest development in a year-long saga that begun in January 2019, when Bezos announced his divorce from MacKenzie Bezos, shortly before his relationship with former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez was made public.
News of the affair led to concerns over whether Bezos' phone was hacked, and the investigation that ensued eventually raised the possibility that the Saudi government was responsible for accessing the Amazon CEO's personal information.
Here's everything that's been reported about how the crown prince apparently gained access to the Amazon CEO's phone.
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March 21, 2018: Ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans three-week tour of the US, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is invited to a small dinner with him in Los Angeles. The US trip is meant to paint the crown prince as a "reformer and globalist."

BusinessInsider USA Images

Nicolas Asfouri - Pool/Getty Images

Source: OCHR , Washington Post

April 4, 2018: Both Bezos and Crown Prince Mohammed attend a dinner in Los Angeles at the home of producer Brian Grazer, co-hosted by talent agent Ari Emanuel. Other guests at the dinner include Disney CEO Bob Iger and former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Sage Grazer; Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP

Sources: Washington Post , OCHR

At the dinner, Bezos and Crown Prince Mohammed exchange phone numbers. The same day, the royal reportedly initiated a conversation with Bezos over WhatsApp.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Reuters

Source: New York Times , OCHR

May 1, 2018: Bezos receives an "unexpected message" from Crown Prince Mohammed containing an encrypted video file, per reports. The video "appears to be an Arabic language promotional film about telecommunications," showing Arabic text over images of Saudi and Swedish flags. Its not clear whether Bezos viewed the video, but immediately after getting the file, the amount of data transmitted on Bezos phone increased by "three hundredfold," the reports say.

BusinessInsider USA Images

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Source: New York Times , Motherboard

November 8, 2018: Crown Prince Mohammed reportedly sends a meme to Bezos on WhatsApp with text reading, "Arguing with a woman is like reading the software license agreement. In the end you have to ignore everything and click I agree." The photo in the meme bears a passing resemblance to Lauren Sanchez, who would later be revealed to be having an affair with the Amazon CEO.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Source: New York Times , Motherboard

January 9, 2019: Bezos announces hes getting a divorce. The same day, the tabloid National Enquirer reports that Bezos and Sanchez had been dating for months. The paper obtained "raunchy messages and erotic selfies" exchanged between the two including Bezos infamous "I love you, alive girl" message and said that it had a nude photo "too explicit to print."

BusinessInsider USA Images

Adrian Dennis/Reuters

Source: Business Insider , Mashable

February 7, 2019: Bezos publishes a blog post accusing the National Enquirers publisher, AMI, of "extortion and blackmail." He also insinuated possible ties between the National Enquirers investigation into his personal life and the Saudi government.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Getty

Source: Medium , Business Insider

February 14, 2019: After more than three months of no communication, Bezos reportedly receives another message from Crown Prince Mohammed. The message warns Bezos that "all what you hear" is not true, and says: "there is nothing against you or Amazon from me or Saudi Arabia."

BusinessInsider USA Images

REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Source: Motherboard

March 31, 2019: Bezos chief security consultant Gavin de Becker writes in The Daily Beast that following an investigation into how the National Enquirer got its information, he could conclude "with high confidence" that the Saudi government had hacked Bezos phone and gained access to his private information. He reveals Bezos has been subject to numerous threats by the Saudis since October 2018.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Source: The Daily Beast

June 2019: The United Nations starts to look into Bezos allegations about the Saudi hack after someone close to him reportedly shares a forensic analysis of the Amazon CEOs phone.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo

Source: New York Times

January 21, 2020: The Guardian first reports on a forensic investigation that shows Crown Prince Mohammed hacked Bezos phone in 2018 using a video file containing malware.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS; Saul Loeb/Getty Images

Source: The Guardian

January 22, 2020: UN investigators release their report a day later, saying with "reasonable certainty" that Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in hacking Bezos phone. The UN also calls for an "immediate investigation" into Crown Prince Mohammed.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Reuters/Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court

Source: OCHR

Here's everything we know about how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia was apparently able to hack Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone

March 21, 2018: Ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans three-week tour of the US, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is invited to a small dinner with him in Los Angeles. The US trip is meant to paint the crown prince as a "reformer and globalist."

April 4, 2018: Both Bezos and Crown Prince Mohammed attend a dinner in Los Angeles at the home of producer Brian Grazer, co-hosted by talent agent Ari Emanuel. Other guests at the dinner include Disney CEO Bob Iger and former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

At the dinner, Bezos and Crown Prince Mohammed exchange phone numbers. The same day, the royal reportedly initiated a conversation with Bezos over WhatsApp.

February 7, 2019: Bezos publishes a blog post accusing the National Enquirers publisher, AMI, of "extortion and blackmail." He also insinuated possible ties between the National Enquirers investigation into his personal life and the Saudi government.

February 14, 2019: After more than three months of no communication, Bezos reportedly receives another message from Crown Prince Mohammed. The message warns Bezos that "all what you hear" is not true, and says: "there is nothing against you or Amazon from me or Saudi Arabia."

June 2019: The United Nations starts to look into Bezos allegations about the Saudi hack after someone close to him reportedly shares a forensic analysis of the Amazon CEOs phone.

January 21, 2020: The Guardian first reports on a forensic investigation that shows Crown Prince Mohammed hacked Bezos phone in 2018 using a video file containing malware.

January 22, 2020: UN investigators release their report a day later, saying with "reasonable certainty" that Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in hacking Bezos phone. The UN also calls for an "immediate investigation" into Crown Prince Mohammed.

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