A Dutch court case has emerged around Pepijn van der Stap, a 24-year-old Amsterdam-based man with a prior hacking record, who is now charged with two counts of attempted incitement to murder. Dutch police stated that van der Stap was arrested on 15 September in connection with the ShinyHunters investigation and is suspected of participating in a criminal organisation. They say a large amount of data on his laptop included details about two planned murders abroad, and that there are indications he gave the orders.
The arrest is not presented as confirmation of ShinyHunters activity against specific targets, and Dutch authorities have not charged him with ShinyHunters wrongdoing in this matter.
The FBI, meanwhile, described him as an alleged leader of ShinyHunters in a public statement, noting the group's link to cyberattacks in multiple countries and praising the partnership with Dutch police. The Dutch High Tech Crime Unit is leading the investigation under the National Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the suspect being held in isolation as a thorough probe continues.
At this stage, prosecutors have not filed charges tying van der Stap to concrete ShinyHunters breaches, and DataBreaches has not seen evidence confirming such involvement. The case centres on the alleged incitement to murder, with two identified targets reportedly named to sources, though no murder has occurred to date. Further arrests are not ruled out as authorities continue to examine data recovered during the initial search.