Amsterdam arrest in ShinyHunters investigation

A 24-year-old has been arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of being a member of the cybercrime group ShinyHunters. Dutch police said the suspect was detained on September 15 and remains in custody. The arrest came before the group’s alleged attack on FBI systems.

According to police, the suspect is being investigated not only for cybercrime links but also on suspicion of attempted incitement to commit two murders. Authorities said a large amount of information was found on seized devices, and that details related to two murders believed to have been planned abroad were identified on a laptop.

Dutch officials said the investigation is ongoing and that further arrests are not ruled out. The unit handling cybercrime cases in the country said the group has left behind numerous victims at both national and international level.

What was claimed in the alleged FBI data breach?

The information said to have been leaked

Last week, ShinyHunters claimed in a post that it had obtained sensitive information belonging to about 38,000 FBI employees. The group said it had the names, job titles and badge numbers of all staff, along with personal data such as home addresses and phone numbers.

BBC reporting said limited samples of the data it reviewed appeared to be genuine. The group claimed to have breached FBI servers on September 21, and began sending journalists screenshots and sample data the following day.

Systems said to have been targeted

The group claimed it gained access to multiple systems by exploiting a vulnerability in Oracle cloud storage infrastructure used by the FBI. Platforms reportedly affected included FBIJOBS, where job applications are stored, FBI BEAST, which holds staff and candidate background checks, FBI MedLink, where health records are kept, and FBI BICS, which contains investigative information.

  • The allegedly stolen data included personnel identification and contact details.
  • FBI Director Kash Patel thanked Dutch authorities and said investigators were working on new leads in the case.

The group’s motive and past attack claims

ShinyHunters, known as an international hacking collective, is believed to have originated in France. The group has previously been linked to high-profile cyberattacks on Rockstar Games and the education platform Canvas.

In a message on the dark web, ShinyHunters said it did not carry out the attack for money. Instead, it said it wanted the FBI to withdraw a warning issued in May that described the group as threat actors trying to extort victims using sensitive data.