Neither Dutch authorities nor the FBI name the suspect, but Krebs on Security and Reuters report that police arrested Pepijn van der Stap, a Dutch man convicted for data theft and extortion in 2023. Van der Stap joined the Dutch cybersecurity company Neo Security when he was released from prison last year, according to Krebs on Security. ShinyHunters tells Reuters that Van der Stap has “no association” with the group.
Brett Leatherman, the FBI’s Cyber Division Assistant Director, calls the suspect one of the group’s alleged leaders, while issuing a warning to remaining members. “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,” Leatherman says in a video published on Tuesday. “I suggest you reach out first while the choice is still yours.”
The 24-year-old is also suspected of “attempted incitement to commit two murders,” according to the Dutch police. “As we speak FBI teams are actively working with partners to obtain and execute more leads in the ongoing investigation based on this arrest,” FBI Director Kash Patel writes in a post on X.
