• Source:JND

Iranian hackers have claimed on Friday that they had gained access to the personal email account of US FBI Director Kash Patel. The group, identifying itself as the Handala Hack Team, allegedly released personal photographs and documents online, asserting that Patel had become one of their latest targets.

A source with the Department of Justice has confirmed that Patel's emails have been hacked, but has not provided any other details related to the breach. The FBI did not return calls seeking comment, and the hackers did not respond to a request for a direct response either.

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The group known as Handala Hack Team stated on their site that Patels "has been added to the list of successfully hacked individuals." Handala is also an organisation (pro-Palestinian) to be involved with cyberspace activities worldwide; however, they are most likely acting under an Iranian government-sanctioned cyber-intelligence operation.

"Kash Patel, the current head of the FBI, who once saw his name displayed with pride on the agency's headquarters, will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims," AP quoted a message from the group Handala.

The Handala Hack Team recently claimed to have executed a computer attack against Stryker on March 11, stating they have also deleted many data files belonging to the company. At this time, there is no way to accurately authenticate the emails that were leaked from Patel's account. Nonetheless, the email address utilised by the hackers is similar to other email addresses associated with Patel that have been involved with previous breaches tracked by District 4 labs, a dark-web data security research agency.

According to the samples of leaked documents sent to Reuters, they show all types of letters, both personal and business and at times a combination of them, between 2010 and 2019. 

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About FBI Director Kash Patel

The first South Asian American to take over the position of the FBI director is Patel, who became the ninth director of the Bureau through an appointment on February 20, 2025 and who continues to be noted as a landmark event for what has been characterized historically and is continuing to bring attention because of various controversies that have arisen from both leadership decisions and the internal workings of the FBI over the course of time since he was named FBI Director.


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