Dutch police detained a 24-year-old cybersecurity professional accused of running the group

Dutch police have arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man in connection with an investigation into ShinyHunters, the hacking group the FBI says was behind a data breach that exposed confidential GTA Online revenue figures earlier this year.

As spotted by Rockstar Intel, via Kotaku, the Dutch National Police confirmed the arrest in a statement on September 28, though it didn't name the suspect.

Reuters has now named him as Pepijn van der Stap, who works as the offensive cybersecurity lead at Neo Security in Amsterdam. He has past convictions for hacking-related offences and only joined the firm this year, even though the FBI believes he has led ShinyHunters since 2025.

The group reportedly denies this and accuses the Dutch police of incompetence.

ShinyHunters is linked to numerous intrusions at over 100 companies and institutions, including Rockstar, Ticketmaster and the FBI itself.

In April, ShinyHunters breached Rockstar and attempted to extort the studio, threatening to release stolen confidential data if it didn't pay. Rockstar refused, and the group published the information anyway, revealing that GTA Online generates more than $1m a day.

It's the latest headache for Rockstar's security team, following August's separate leak of GTA 6 gameplay footage by the hacker group CyberLeek, which prompted Take-Two to subpoena Microsoft, Discord and Twitter/X in an effort to identify those responsible.

Following the arrest, FBI Cyber Division assistant director Brett Leatherman warned the rest of ShinyHunters to come forward.

"Now, to the remaining members of ShinyHunters: You've heard about the arrest of your colleague. We're confident you've seen or heard things in recent days that the public has not," he said. "Other groups believed anonymity, or their friends, would protect them, and they were wrong.

"Arrests have a way of changing who is willing to talk, and seized infrastructure has a way of showing us who's left. 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. I suggest you reach out first while the choice is still yours."

The studio is, of course, also partway through an employment tribunal with the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, over its dismissal of 34 staff last October, which the claimants allege was retaliation for union activity.

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