Suspected ShinyHunters leader arrested in the Netherlands

The 24-year-old man is linked to the hacking group behind attacks on the FBI, Rockstar Games, Ticketmaster, and more.

The 24-year-old man is linked to the hacking group behind attacks on the FBI, Rockstar Games, Ticketmaster, and more.

by

Emma Roth

Sep 29, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Dutch police say they arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man in connection with ShinyHunters, the hacking group that claimed responsibility for high-profile attacks onTicketmaster,Rockstar Games, andmore recently, the FBI. Ina press release,Dutch authorities state that they arrested the suspect on September 15th — just days before the hacking groupclaimed to have breachedthe FBI’s website and stolen employee data, asreported earlier byReuters.

Neither Dutch authorities nor the FBI name the suspect,butKrebs on SecurityandReutersreport that police arrested Pepijn van der Stap, a Dutch man convictedfor data theft and extortionin 2023. Van der Stap joined the Dutch cybersecurity company Neo Security when he was released from prison last year, according toKrebs on Security. ShinyHunters tellsReutersthat Van der Stap has “no association” with the group.

Brett Leatherman, the FBI’s Cyber Division Assistant Director, calls the suspect one of the group’s alleged leaders, while issuing a warning to remaining members. “The longer you stay in this, the more we learn about you. You know how to find us, and we know how to find you,” Leatherman says in avideo published on Tuesday. “I suggest you reach out first while the choice is still yours.”

The 24-year-old is also suspected of “attempted incitement to commit two murders,” according to the Dutch police. “As we speak FBI teams are actively working with partners to obtain and execute more leads in the ongoing investigation based on this arrest,” FBI DirectorKash Patel writes in a post on X.

Follow topics and authors

from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

  • Emma Roth

Most Popular

Most Popular

  1. Bose’s first wired earbuds in 11 years add noise canceling
  2. OpenAI launches Dots, its Muse competitor
  3. Trump finalizes rule to make cars less fuel efficient
  4. Your car’s data privacy problems are worse than you think
  5. Nothing’s new flagship Headphone 1 Pro put you in the studio
Advertiser Content From

This is the title for the native ad