Iran-linked hackers claim breach of FBI director's personal email; DOJ official confirms break-in


FILE PHOTO: FBI Director Kash Patel announces the apprehension of Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list, during a press conference in Ontario, California, U.S., January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake//File Photo

WASHINGTON, March ⁠27 (Reuters) - Iran-linked hackers have publicly claimed ‌the breach of FBI Director Kash Patel's personal inbox, publishing photographs of the director ​and his purported resume ⁠to the internet.

On ⁠their website, the hacker group Handala Hack ⁠Team ‌said Patel "will now find his name among the ⁠list of successfully hacked victims."

Reuters was ​not able ‌to immediately authenticate the emails published ⁠by ​Hanadala, but a sample of the material uploaded by the hackers and ⁠reviewed by Reuters appears ​to show a mix of personal and work correspondence dating between 2010 and ⁠2019.

A Justice Department official confirmed to Reuters that Patel's emails were compromised but did not go into ​detail. The FBI ⁠did not immediately respond to a request ​for comment. The ‌hackers did not immediately ​respond to messages.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter, editing by Deepa Babington)

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