US sanctions have been enforced upon two Irish-based companies, Intellexa Ltd and Thalestris Ltd, suspected of engaging in espionage activities. These organisations, registered in Ireland, are believed to have funnelled substantial sums from their dealings in the Middle East via their principal operations in Dublin.
The US Treasury Department was responsible for executing these sanctions, which is primarily aimed at Intellexa Ltd and its upstream entity, Thalestris Ltd. The repercussions of these measures also affected one key director and four additional organisations, all of which are suspected to have been spying on US government officers, media persons, and analysts.
The US authorities assert that the actions of these companies represent a tangible threat to their national security, economic welfare, and foreign policy through their digital-enabled actions.
As yet, it remains unclear how the Irish Government plans to address this issue. The Department of Justice in Ireland maintains that such investigations fall under the remit of the appropriate authorities, and is not within their jurisdiction.
The consequences of the sanctions prevent any US citizens from conducting business with the blacklisted companies or individuals. They also allow for sanctions or legal measures against financial institutions that enable these transactions.
The US Treasury names these Irish companies as pivotal facilitators to the Intellexa Consortium, responsible for selling the “Predator” spyware to a worldwide clientele. This group became particularly infamous two years ago when they were accused of facilitating spying activities against Greek government officials’ political rivals and journalists.
Furthermore, the US alleges that the Irish-identified company Intellexa acts as a technology intermediary and asset holder on behalf of the consortium. Thalestris is identified as a finance holding firm that possesses the distribution rights to the “Predator” spyware.
The primary business activity of Thalestris, as presented in the official documentation, is to supply intelligence products to law enforcement agencies.
In 2021, Thalestris reported sales of €34.4 million, with €29.5 million attributed to clients in the Middle East. The previous year, out of €20.8 million in sales, €11.3 million was from the Middle East, which far exceeds Thalestris’ business elsewhere. The European market, the company’s second-largest, reported sales of only €2.3 million in 2021 and €4.3 million in 2020.
Despite the fact that 2021 is the most recent year for which Thalestris’ and Intellexa’s accounts are openly available, the U.S. appears to assume from their sanctions that these Irish companies are still in operation.
Brian Nelson, who serves as the US treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, has issued sanctions against companies located in Ireland, Greece, North Macedonia, and Hungary. Nelson sees these sanctions as significant progress towards preventing the abuse of commercial surveillance tools.
US sanctions have been imposed on two key figures, namely: Sara Hamou, the exclusive director of both Intellexa and Thalestris companies situated in Dublin, and Tal Dilian, allegedly a former general of Israeli intelligence who is understood to be the founder of the Intellexa group. Sara Hamou, specialising in corporate offshoring, operates out of Limassol, Cyprus.
According to US authorities, Dilian has either total or partial control over a worldwide network of autonomous companies via Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou, exemplifying an intricate system. Both Intellexa and Thalestris’ official address is registered at Ulysses House, Foley Street, Dublin, coinciding with accountants Moore, who was once the auditor for Intellexa and Thalestris prior to resigning last summer.
Moore’s resignation was filed with Companies Office stating that there were no significant issues that shareholders or creditors needed to be made aware of at the time of the resignation. Interestingly, the day prior to Moore’s exit, the US Department of Commerce placed Intellexa of Dublin on a blacklist for allegedly engaging in cyber exploits, exposing the privacy and security of individuals and organisations globally.
Further probing about the direct connection between Moore’s resignation and US investigations from Diarmuid O’Connell, the managing partner at Moore, was met with no comment as they no longer hold responsibility for these firms. The Irish Times reported that no contact details for the penalised companies could be sourced.