Cyprus appoints independent investigator to assist probe of Israeli ‘spy van’

Cyprus’s attorney general appoints an independent criminal investigator to assist police in their investigation of a surveillance van that is owned by a company whose Israeli chief executive is a former intelligence officer.

Attorney-General Costas Clerides says in a statement that his decision to appoint lawyer Elias Stephanou was made due to the seriousness of the case and the legal angles that have sprung up throughout the probe.

Police are investigating whether Cyprus-registered WiSpear breached any privacy laws following local media reports that alleged the van — which authorities have confiscated — was used to spy on people on the eastern Mediterranean island nation.

WiSpear strenuously denies such reports, saying that it has neither sold nor rented “intelligence systems” to Cypriot authorities nor does it provide “intelligence services” to clients.

WiSpear was incorporated in 2013 and began operating four years later. It is run by Tal Dilian, an Israeli who an earlier Forbes video showed boasting about the $9 million (€8.18 million) van’s sophisticated surveillance equipment.

A WiSpear spokeswoman confirms to the Associated Press that Dilian has spent more than two decades in Israeli military intelligence.

— AP