Amsterdam arrest linked to ShinyHunters

Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man on September 15th in connection with ShinyHunters, the hacking group behind attacks on Ticketmaster, Rockstar Games, and the FBI.

Suspect identified as Pepijn van der Stap

Krebs on Security and Reuters report the arrested man is Pepijn van der Stap, a Dutch man convicted for data theft and extortion in 2023 who joined cybersecurity company Neo Security after his release from prison.

ShinyHunters denies van der Stap connection

ShinyHunters tells Reuters that van der Stap has no association with the group, despite police linking him to the hacking collective and its high-profile breaches.

“no association”

FBI names him alleged group leader

Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, calls the suspect one of ShinyHunters' alleged leaders and warns remaining members that law enforcement is closing in on them.

“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.”

Additional charges of incitement to murder

Dutch police also suspect the 24-year-old of attempted incitement to commit two murders, adding serious criminal charges beyond his alleged role in the hacking group.

FBI continues investigation with new leads

FBI Director Kash Patel says FBI teams are actively working with partners to obtain and execute more leads in the ongoing investigation based on this arrest of the suspected ShinyHunters leader.