ShinyHunters Suspect Arrested After Rockstar and FBI Hacks

A 24-year-old Dutch man has been arrested in connection with the ShinyHunters hacking group, which allegedly breached Rockstar Games and the FBI. He denies involvement.

Remember that hacker crew that leaked a ton of Rockstar's financial data earlier this year? Well, the net might finally be closing in. A 24-year-old Dutch man has been arrested as part of the investigation into ShinyHunters, the group that reportedly stole data from Rockstar and even hit the FBI.

According to Dexerto, authorities haven't officially named the suspect, but Reuters reports he's Pepijn van der Stap, who previously worked as head of offensive security at Amsterdam-based cybersecurity firm Neo Security. He was convicted in 2023 for data theft and extortion, and was released from prison in December 2025. His former employer says investigators have found no evidence he ever hacked Neo Security or its clients.

Back in April, we told you about ShinyHunters stealing a massive trove of financial data from Rockstar. When the ransom demand wasn't paid, the group dumped the data publicly. They also allegedly breached the FBI after the agency issued a warning about them, with reports claiming tens of thousands of FBI employees had their home addresses, phone numbers, names, spouse info, and even some medical data stolen.

FBI Director Kash Patel called the suspect one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters, and said the Dutch High Tech Crime Unit worked with FBI investigators to make the arrest. Dutch police added that the man is also suspected of trying to plot two murders, though that investigation is separate from the ShinyHunters case. A Rotterdam court has ordered him held for another 90 days.

Here's where the timeline gets interesting. The arrest was only made public days after the FBI breach became known, but Dutch authorities say the suspect was actually taken into custody on September 15 — before ShinyHunters publicly claimed on September 22 that they'd hacked the FBI's website. ShinyHunters, for their part, deny that Van der Stap has any connection to the group.

After the arrest, Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division, had a pretty blunt message for the remaining ShinyHunters members. "You know how to find us, and we know how to find you," Leatherman said. "I suggest you reach out while you still have a choice."

So what do you think — is this the beginning of the end for ShinyHunters, or just a bump in the road? Drop your thoughts in the comments.