Van der Stap, a 24 year old previously convicted of data theft, was arrested in Amsterdam on September 15 and is being held by Dutch authorities. A Rotterdam court recently extended his pretrial detention for at least 90 more days while police separately investigate his laptop for evidence of two suspected murder orders abroad. The ShinyHunters group denied any association with van der Stap in a statement, calling the law enforcement efforts incompetent and attention seeking.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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US Indicts Alleged ShinyHunters Leader Pepijn van der Stap
Cybersecurity19 days ago
The US Department of Justice has brought charges against a citizen of the Netherlands for orchestrating a computer hacking operation. This indictment targets Pepijn van der Stap, whom the FBI identifies as a leader of the ShinyHunters global cybercrime syndicate, for unauthorized computer access conspiracy. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that bureau teams are pursuing new leads resulting from the arrest and that further apprehension of group members is likely after attacks targeted the FBI and other worldwide entities.
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