The Iran-linked hacking group Handala claimed to have hacked the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel and released photographs and documents as evidence. The US Department of Justice and the FBI confirmed the compromise.
The background to this conflict is as follows: earlier this month, following the attack on Stryker, the US Department of Justice seized several of the hacking group's domains. At the time, in an official press release, Patel threatened to "hunt down" Handala members, and authorities announced a reward of up to $10 million for any information on the group's members.
"Iran thought it could hide behind fake websites and online threats to intimidate Americans and silence dissidents. We've destroyed four key elements of their operation, and we're not done yet," Patel said at the time.
In response, the group's representatives stated that they had decided to "respond to this ridiculous show in a way that will be remembered forever." The hackers claim to have compromised the FBI director's personal Gmail account in just a few hours.
On their website, Handala published photos of Patel with cigars and a bottle of rum, along with other documents, which, according to Reuters , date from 2010 to 2019. According to NBC News , the files' metadata indicates that the hack occurred some time ago, with the email folders modified as early as May 21, 2025. This means the hackers likely hacked Patel's email long ago and are now merely releasing the data.
The US Department of Justice confirmed that the emails released by the hackers appear to be genuine.
"All of Kesh Patel's personal and confidential data, including emails, correspondence, documents, and even classified files, are now available for public download," the hackers write, although these claims have not been independently verified.
FBI officials also confirmed the attack to the media, but emphasized that the stolen information was not current and did not contain government data.
"The FBI is aware of malicious activity targeting Director Patel's personal email account. We have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks. The data is not current and does not contain government information," the agency's official statement reads.
According to Western researchers, Handala (also known as Hatef and Hamsa) is a hacktivist group operating on behalf of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). The group emerged in December 2023, positions itself as pro-Palestinian hacktivists, and opposes US support for Israel.
Kesh Patel has not yet commented on this incident on his social media.
