Dutch police arrested a 24‑year‑old Amsterdam resident on 15 September on suspicion of being a member of the cyber‑crime collective ShinyHunters, which has claimed to have stolen sensitive data from about 38 000 FBI agents.
Police seized the suspect’s devices and found a ‘large amount of information’ on his laptop, including details that could be linked to two planned murders outside the UK.
Stan Duijf, head of the Netherlands’ cyber‑crime investigations, said that the group has a history of high‑profile attacks, such as the 2024 breach of Rockstar Games servers and a May hack of the learning platform Canvas.
The hackers say they exploited a vulnerability in the Oracle cloud storage system that the FBI uses for several internal databases, including background‑check services and medical records.
According to the FBI’s public‑service announcement, ShinyHunters claims it did not hack for money and has asked the agency to retract a May advisory that branded it a ‘threat actor.’
FBI Director Kash Patel thanked Dutch partners in a post on X and said that U.S. agents are continuing investigations in light of the arrest.
The arrested suspect is being held in custody, and Dutch officials have said they may pursue further arrests in the investigation.
What is ShinyHunters?
The group began in France and has been linked to a number of high‑profile data leaks. ShinyHunters claims it has a wide reach, targeting companies in technology, finance and retail.
