An Iran-linked hacker group claimed on Friday that it had accessed the personal email inbox of Kash Patel, publishing photographs and documents online. The group, identifying itself as Handala Hack Team, said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.”
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The hackers released personal images showing Patel smoking cigars, posing in an antique convertible, and taking a mirror selfie with a large bottle of rum. A Justice Department official confirmed that Patel’s email had been compromised and that the material published appeared authentic, though the FBI did not immediately comment.
Handala, which describes itself as a pro-Palestinian vigilante hacker group, is believed by Western researchers to be one of several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units. The group previously claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Michigan-based medical device provider Stryker on March 11, reportedly deleting a large amount of company data.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of Patel’s emails, but the Gmail address targeted matches one previously linked to him in past data breaches, preserved by the dark web intelligence firm District 4 Labs. The material released includes a mix of personal and professional correspondence dating from 2010 to 2019.
