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Thursday, November 6, 2025
Qatar hired intel firm to probe woman who accused ICC prosector of sexual abuse, failed to find links to Israel — report
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A private intelligence firm targeted a woman who accused the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, of sexual abuse, in an operation aimed to find evidence to undermine her, and potentially link her to Israel, the Guardian reports.
Private firm Highgate, based in London, worked with at least one other firm in an operation “commissioned by a high-level diplomatic unit within the Qatari state,” the report says.
The operation did not find any evidence that the accuser was linked to Israel. Khan was responsible for seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last year.
While the report could not find evidence that Khan was directly involved in the operation, people familiar with the matter say that Highgate met with the prosecutor’s representatives.
The alleged victim tells the news outlet that the operation was “disturbing.”
“The idea that private intelligence firms have been instructed to target me is as incomprehensible as it is heartbreaking,” she says.
Highgate confirmed to the Guardian it worked on an operation connected to the ICC but claimed it had not “acted against any individual” and denied links to Qatar.
In a statement subsequently sent to The Times of Israel, Highgate added that: “Highgate never aimed at discrediting any individual, and we strongly believe that no alleged victim of serious crimes should ever be targeted nor their claims undermined.”
The Times of Israel Community.