Former Serbian prosecutorial associate Rade Bajić believes his work on a disputed Belgrade redevelopment prompted spyware targeting of his iPhone, The Guardian reported, as researchers documented a wider series of cases in Serbia.
Citizen Lab said Bajić received an Apple threat notification on Aug. 13, 2026, followed by a reminder Aug. 27. The research group described the notification as a high-confidence indication that his phone was likely targeted with mercenary spyware. Its examination has not confirmed an infection or identified an attacker.
Before leaving Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (TOK), Bajić served as a senior prosecutorial associate. He worked on a case concerning the removal of cultural-heritage protection from Belgrade’s Generalštab complex, a step toward allowing a proposed Trump-branded development.
The office filed charges against four officials on Dec. 15, 2025, including Culture Minister Nikola Selaković. It alleged abuse of office and falsification of official documents in connection with the change in the site’s status. No court has determined the officials’ guilt.
Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners had proposed redeveloping the site. In December 2025, the company said it was withdrawing its proposal. Its statement did not link the decision to the criminal case.
In a separate case involving University of Belgrade Rector Vladan Đokić, Citizen Lab found that NSO Group’s Pegasus infected his iPhone in 2026. The researchers have made no such finding about Bajić’s phone.
As of its Oct. 19 report, Citizen Lab counted at least 16 members of Serbia’s civil society publicly identified as spyware targets or infection victims in 2026. Amnesty International documented spyware use by Serbian police and intelligence authorities against journalists and activists in 2024. That earlier finding does not establish who targeted Bajić.
Citizen Lab said its forensic examination of Bajić’s phone is continuing.
