Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old individual charged with hacking and blackmailing several companies, including Uber, Nvidia, and Rockstar Games (developer of GTA 6), has been deemed unfit to stand trial. The charges against Kurtaj involve 12 offenses, including three counts of blackmail, two counts of fraud, and six counts under the Computer Misuse Act.
The GTA 6 Hacking Incident
According to Reuters, Kurtaj, as part of the Lapsus$ hacking group, hacked into Rockstar Games and sent a threatening message via Slack to all the staff, warning them of the potential release of the source code.
Another teenager, who remains unnamed due to being a minor at the time (17 years old), has also faced charges related to blackmail, fraud, and violations of the Computer Misuse Act. However, this individual is not believed to have been involved in the Rockstar Games hack.
Psychiatric Assessment and Jury Decision
Reuters reports that psychiatrists have conducted an assessment and concluded that the teenager is unfit to stand trial. As a result, the jury will not determine the guilt or innocence of Kurtaj but rather establish whether the accused committed the acts in question.
Kurtaj has previously pleaded guilty to one count of fraud, two offenses under the Computer Misuse Act, and a breach of bail conditions.
Last September, a significant leak occurred involving work-in-progress development materials from Grand Theft Auto 6. Over 90 screenshots and videos were made public, causing an uproar within the gaming community.
Rockstar Games acknowledged the incident in a statement when the company resumed work, acknowledging a “network intrusion” (a hack) that resulted in the theft of early development footage for GTA 6. The company expressed extreme disappointment over the breach.
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