Jeff Bezos' phone reportedly hacked via malicious WhatsApp message from Saudi prince

Bezos had shared his number with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a dinner in Los Angeles

The phone of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was reportedly hacked in 2018 through a WhatsApp message from the personal account of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

That ' s according to an investigation by The Guardian, which cites multiple sources, who claim that the hack was likely behind the leak of personal photos and other information in January 2019. A Saudi link to the leak was established just months later.

The pair had reportedly exchanged their numbers at a dinner in Los Angeles during the Crown Prince's trip to the US.

"Recent media reports that suggest the Kingdom is behind a hacking of Mr. Jeff Bezos' phone are absurd," Saudi Arabia ' s US embassy said in a tweet.

"We call for an investigation on these claims so that we can have all the facts out."

The alleged hacking incident, which took place in May 2018, is particularly notable because in February 2019, Bezos had accused the US-based tabloid paper National Enquirer of attempting to blackmail him with nude pictures and text messages, revealing salacious details of Bezos' private life.

The hack was linked to the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who regularly wrote for the Bezos-owned Washington Post

Earlier in January 2019, the National Enquirer had published reports of Bezos' extramarital affair that eventually led to his divorce from his wife, MacKenzie Bezos.

In March 2019, Jeff put together an investigative team, led by Gavin de Becker, to find out how his personal data was leaked.

De Becker later claimed that the information was acquired by the Saudi government, which also likely leaked the details to the National Enquirer.

De Becker also suggested that the hack was linked to the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who regularly wrote for the Bezos-owned Washington Post to criticise autocratic leadership of the prince.

The newspaper later covered the Khashoggi murder in great details, which eventually soured the friendly relationship between Jeff Bezos and the Saudi prince.

Following months of investigation, the US Central Intelligence Agency concluded that the Khashoggi murder was personally ordered by Mohammed bin Salman himself.

Saudi Arabia, however, rejected those allegations, saying Khashoggi murder was the result of a "rogue operation".

In December 2019, eight people were convicted by a Saudi court for their involvement in the murder, although many human right experts criticised the secret trial of murder as a sham.