Dutch police have arrested a 24-year-old man suspected of leading ShinyHunters, the hacking group tied to breaches at the FBI, Rockstar Games, and Ticketmaster. Authorities in the Netherlands and the FBI have not released the suspect's name. Krebs on Security and Reuters reported that the man arrested is Pepijn van der Stap, a Dutch national convicted of data theft and extortion in 2023.
Van der Stap went to work for the Dutch cybersecurity firm Neo Security after his release from prison last year, according to Krebs on Security. ShinyHunters told Reuters that Van der Stap has no association with the group. Dutch police also suspect the 24-year-old of attempted incitement to commit two murders.
Brett Leatherman, the FBI's Cyber Division Assistant Director, described the suspect as one of the group's alleged leaders and delivered a warning to the members who remain at large. In a video published Tuesday, Leatherman said the longer they stay involved, the more the bureau learns about them, adding that they know how to reach the FBI and the FBI knows how to find them. He suggested they make contact first while the choice is still theirs.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that FBI teams are actively working with partners to obtain and execute more leads in the ongoing investigation based on the arrest. The case reflects the FBI's continued focus on ShinyHunters, a group whose alleged victims include major US companies and a federal agency, making the investigation relevant to American businesses and consumers whose data has been exposed in past breaches.
The arrest follows a pattern of cross-border cooperation in which Dutch authorities and the FBI have worked together on cybercrime cases. Neither agency has provided additional details about the evidence against the suspect or about the status of other alleged members of the group.
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