Dutch police have arrested a 24-year-old man from Amsterdam as part of an investigation into ShinyHunters, the hacker group tied to the Rockstar Games breach that fed into the GTA 6 leaks. The suspect, named as Pepijn van der Stap, is being investigated on two fronts: his alleged role in the hacking group, and a separate accusation that he tried to arrange two killings.
Quick answer: A 24-year-old Amsterdam resident was arrested on September 15, 2026 over ties to ShinyHunters and is separately accused of attempted incitement to commit two murders abroad. He is being held in complete isolation while the case continues.
Who was arrested
The person has been named as Pepijn van der Stap, who held an offensive-security leadership role at a company based in Amsterdam. Put simply, he was paid to test systems and uncover weaknesses. He has a prior conviction for data theft and extortion, and has said he left cybercrime behind.
The arrest involved a sizable police operation, with officers deploying flash-bang grenades. They also took several data carriers, including laptops and storage devices, which investigators are now examining.
ShinyHunters has denied publicly that van der Stap has any link to the group. Police have identified him only as an Amsterdam resident aged 24; their statement does not verify the accusations against him.
The murder-for-hire allegation
The gravest aspect of the case goes beyond stolen game files. Police say that after his arrest on September 15, investigators found a substantial volume of information on his laptop, including material on plans for two killings overseas. They say there are signs he ordered the murders.
He consequently faces suspicion of trying to incite two murders. Dutch police have stressed that this allegation is distinct from the ShinyHunters inquiry. He is being kept in complete isolation as the allegations are investigated. The police statement reads:
Police arrested the Amsterdam resident on suspicion of involvement in a criminal organization. After taking him into custody on September 15, officers found a substantial amount of material on his laptop, including information about plans to kill two people abroad. Investigators say there are indications that he ordered the killings.
Court appearance and what happens next
The suspect appeared before the chamber of the Rotterdam District Court on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Police confirmed the broad outline of the case in a post on X and in an official statement, and said further information would follow as the work continues.
The case is still open. The seized data carriers are being analyzed, and police have said that additional arrests cannot be ruled out. You can read the full wording directly in the Dutch police statement.
How this connects to the Rockstar and GTA 6 breach
The GTA 6 angle comes from a high-profile breach of Rockstar Games that was attributed to ShinyHunters. The group reportedly got in through third-party software used by the company and claimed to have taken around 80 million files. They then demanded payment, threatening to release the material if Rockstar did not pay.
No payment was made. The leaked material ended up revealing internal details about Rockstar’s business, including figures tied to GTA Online revenue and player numbers. Rockstar downplayed the impact, with a spokesperson stating:
We can confirm that a third-party data breach resulted in access to a small quantity of non-material company information.
ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for a long list of intrusions beyond Rockstar, naming targets that include Ticketmaster, SoundCloud, Google, and even the FBI. That wider track record is part of why the group draws so much attention whenever an arrest is linked to it.
For now, treat the GTA 6 hacker label as context rather than conclusion. The group has denied any link to the suspect, and the police have not formally established him as the person behind the Rockstar breach. The investigation, the murder-plot accusation, and the ShinyHunters inquiry are all still being worked through.
