Friend of suspected FBI hacker says he urged teenager to abandon plan

Adem El Adeb told Reuters on October 9 that he repeatedly warned Saif al-Din Khader against targeting the FBI. Reuters could not fully corroborate his account of their conversations.

El Adeb, 19, spoke by video from Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. He said his warnings came in September, when he feared an attack on the bureau would expose his friend to the full force of the US government. According to El Adeb, Khader refused to abandon the idea.

Sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters that Khader was taken into custody in Jordan on September 29 and was cooperating with the FBI. El Adeb described him as 17. Reuters was unable to reach Khader, his family or representatives for comment.

The ShinyHunters group has claimed responsibility for stealing personal data from the bureau. Reuters has not independently established the extent of the breach. A person briefed on the matter told the agency in September that the FBI was proceeding on the assumption that the data concerned all its employees.

El Adeb acknowledged using the hacker alias Pryx and identified Khader as Rey. Cybersecurity researchers at KELA had previously linked those aliases to the two individuals. Their research describes Hellcat, a group that emerged in 2024 and claimed attacks on companies including Schneider Electric.

El Adeb said he had left cybercrime before turning 18 and was establishing the cybersecurity business VulOne with a cofounder. Reuters could not fully verify his account of his past or his exchanges with Khader. He said he deleted most of their messages after Khader was detained.

The FBI did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on El Adeb's account. The bureau has said it is aggressively investigating the ShinyHunters hack.