Dutch police arrest alleged ShinyHunters leader in Amsterdam

The case targets a group the FBI links to extensive extortion attacks, while ShinyHunters denies any tie to the suspect.

Updated 3 October 2026

Dutch authorities have arrested a 24‑year‑old Amsterdam man on September 15, alleging he is a member and possible leader of the ShinyHunters extortion group linked to over 140 breaches, including Ticketmaster, AT&T, Odido and a recent FBI compromise. The suspect, widely identified by independent reporters as Pepijn van der Stap, is formally held on charges of participating in a criminal organization and is being kept in pre‑trial detention for at least 90 days. Dutch police say data found on his laptop describes plans for two murders abroad and indicate he may have ordered them, a separate investigation running alongside the cybercrime case. The FBI’s cyber chief Brett Leatherman publicly framed the arrest as a major break against ShinyHunters, warned remaining members that investigators are leveraging seized infrastructure and new leads, and urged them to turn themselves in. ShinyHunters representatives, however, deny that van der Stap is part of the group and say their recent FBI breach was intended to challenge the bureau’s claims about them rather than to make money or leak the stolen data.