White House says it takes reports of Amazon chief Bezos' phone hack seriously

The White House on Thursday said it is taking reports about the hacking of Amazon chief and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos' phone seriously, after reports raised questions about the possible involvement of Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley, speaking to reporters, said he had no further information about the hacking case.

The report by FTI Consulting concluded that huge amounts of data began leaving Bezos’ phone about a month after the video was shared in mid-2018, the person said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject.

Outside experts consulted by the UN agreed that while the case was not airtight, the evidence was strong enough to warrant a fuller investigation.

The report is set to worsen relations between the world's richest man and the kingdom which had soured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, who was also a columnist for the Bezos' owned Washington Post.

Reuters