Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old man on 15 September whom the FBI places at the top of the group. He is also being investigated for allegedly trying to incite two murders. It is not the August leak case.
What the police say
According to the Dutch police statement, the man was arrested on 15 September as part of an investigation into ShinyHunters, a criminal hacking and extortion group it links to data thefts from companies such as Odido, Pornhub and Ticketmaster.
On his laptop, investigators found information about two murders allegedly meant to be committed outside the Netherlands, and police say there are indications he gave instructions for them. He is therefore also being investigated for attempted incitement to murder. Several storage devices were seized, and a Rotterdam court has extended his pre-trial detention by at least 90 days.
The FBI places him at the top
According to Kotaku, the FBI claims he has been one of ShinyHunters' leaders since 2025. After the arrest, Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, warned the rest of the group: "The longer you stay in this, the more we learn about you." The group, for its part, has denied that the detained man is a member.
The police haven't published his name and neither do we: he is detained and under investigation, not convicted.
What it has to do with Rockstar
In April, ShinyHunters claimed a theft of Rockstar's internal data. According to Kotaku and GTA BOOM, the group tried to extort the company; Rockstar didn't pay and the data was eventually released. What came out was business data about its online games, such as GTA Online's revenue, not GTA 6 videos or material.
A clarification: this is not the August leak case. Those gameplay videos were published by a different group, CYBERLEEK, and Take-Two is pursuing that investigation separately, with subpoenas to Discord and Microsoft. We covered it in our leak timeline. This site doesn't link to or host leaked material from any case.
FAQ
Has the GTA 6 hacker been arrested?
A suspected ShinyHunters member has been arrested in the Netherlands; that's the group behind April's Rockstar data theft. He isn't responsible for August's gameplay leaks, which are a separate case.
What did ShinyHunters steal from Rockstar?
Internal business data about its online games, such as GTA Online's revenue. It wasn't GTA 6 material.
Does it affect GTA 6's launch?
No. Rockstar is keeping the launch on 19 November 2026.
Sources
What this article is based on. Official Rockstar sources first; titles are shown in their original language.
- GTA BOOM Alleged ShinyHunters Leader Arrested After Rockstar Data Breach · September 30, 2026
- Policía de los Países Bajos Verdachte aangehouden in onderzoek naar hackersgroep ShinyHunters · September 29, 2026
- Kotaku Alleged Rockstar Games Hacker Arrested In Connection With Data Breach That Revealed GTA Online Profits · September 30, 2026
