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Israeli firm BlackCore suspected of meddling in New York and Scotland votes, France says
June 11, 20265:39 PM GMT+1Updated June 12, 2026
Summary
Viginum flags alleged BlackCore operations in Angola, Togo, New York and Scotland
French PM says France asked Israel for help identifying who commissioned BlackCore
BlackCore described itself as an influence and cyber firm but has not responded to requests for comment
PARIS, June 12 (Reuters) - Israeli firm BlackCore, suspected of interfering in France's local elections in March, is also suspected of meddling in elections in New York City and Scotland, and operating in Angola and Togo, France's disinformation detection service, Viginum, said on Thursday.
Last month, Reuters reported that French authorities suspected BlackCore was behind an online smear campaign targeting three mayoral candidates from the hard-left, pro-Palestine France Unbowed party (LFI) in the local elections.
At a press conference on Thursday alongside French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Viginum chief Marc-Antoine Brillant said technical work had led the service to BlackCore. Viginum subsequently presented a detailed report on BlackCore's alleged actions around the world.
"This modus operandi was not limited to municipal elections in France," Brillant said. "It also appears to have been used to carry out foreign digital interference operations in other countries or regions, such as Angola, Togo, the elections in Scotland, and the 2025 municipal election in New York."
However, he added it was still unclear who had commissioned BlackCore to meddle in France.
"Our investigations did not make it possible to identify the sponsor or sponsors, if indeed they exist, behind this foreign digital interference," he said.
Lecornu said the French government had asked Israel for explanations of BlackCore's actions, and also for help in trying to find out who may have been behind the smear campaign.
"I do not doubt for a single instant that if a French private group, from French soil moreover, had engaged in foreign digital interference in Israel, they would have done the same to its ambassador on site," Lecornu said.
Israel's embassy in Paris confirmed that France had reached out, saying it was waiting to receive details from the French probe to conduct its own.
"Israel has of course no intention to interfere in the French political process, be it at the national or municipal level," it said in a statement.
NEW YORK AND SCOTTISH ELECTIONS ALSO TARGETED
Brillant did not explicitly mention who was targeted in last year's New York City election, which was won by Zohran Mamdani. His victory thrilled many younger Jewish progressives but spooked more traditional pro-Israel New Yorkers with his outspoken support for the Palestinian cause.
Mamdani's team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did New York City and New York state officials.
The New York Police Department and the U.S. cyber defense agency CISA did not immediately return emails seeking comment. The FBI declined comment.
In a subsequent report, Viginum said it had detected BlackCore-linked accounts targeting John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland. Swinney has described the situation in Gaza as a "man-made humanitarian catastrophe", saying a genocide may be unfolding, citing civilian casualties, widespread destruction and statements by Israeli officials.
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