Saif al-Din Khader, a prominent member of the ShinyHunters hacking group, was apprehended in Jordan this week, sources familiar with the situation reported to Reuters.
Authorities in Jordan detained Khader, who reportedly goes by the hacker alias “Rey,” on Tuesday, according to two of the sources.
The suspect is cooperating with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other international authorities to identify his fellow hackers, two sources told Reuters.
While the FBI declined to comment on overseas activities, it stated that it is “continuing to aggressively investigate the recent cyber incident involving the ShinyHunters group, having already worked with partners to arrest multiple suspects—and we will spare no resources to bring every responsible individual to justice.”
Experts believe that the ShinyHunters group primarily consists of young, English-speaking hackers focused on data theft and extortion.
ShinyHunters on FBI Cyberattack: “It’s Not Financially Motivated”
On September 22, ShinyHunters claimed to have breached the systems of the FBI and stolen “highly sensitive data regarding nearly all FBI agents and individuals who have applied for jobs at the FBI.”
At that time, the group stated that the cyberattack was a response to an announcement from the agency in May 2026 that detailed ShinyHunters’ methods and advised targets against paying a ransom.
The hackers asserted that the attack “is not financially motivated” and demanded the FBI retract its announcement that outlined the group’s tactics.
As evidence, the group provided what they claimed was a screenshot of a hacked FBI recruitment website and information on approximately 5,000 agents, which they alleged represented a sample of the total stolen data.
FOTO: © Peerapong Boriboon | Dreamstime.com
