Iran-Linked Hackers Leak FBI Chief Kash Patel’s Email, Leak Photos And Documents

Last Updated:March 27, 2026, 9:26 PM IST

A US Justice Department official confirmed that Patel’s email had been compromised and said the material circulating online appeared to be authentic.

FBI Director Kash Patel. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Iran-linked hackers have claimed responsibility for breaching the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel, publishing photographs and documents believed to belong to him online.

The group, calling itself the Handala Hack Team, said on its website that Patel had joined a list of “successfully hacked victims”.

A US Justice Department official confirmed that Patel’s email had been compromised and said the material circulating online appeared to be authentic, Reuters reported. The FBI has not yet issued an official response.

According to the report, the hackers shared samples of emails, images and documents, some of which appear to include both personal and professional correspondence. The material is said to date from between 2010 and 2019.

The email address allegedly targeted matches one previously linked to Patel in earlier data leaks, according to cyber intelligence firm District 4 Labs. This has added to concerns about the credibility of the hackers’ claims.

Handala describes itself as a pro-Palestinian hacker group. However, Western cyber researchers believe it may be linked to Iranian state-backed cyber intelligence operations.

The group has previously claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on companies, including a reported breach of US-based medical firm Stryker earlier this month.

In a statement posted online, the group mocked US cyber security, claiming it had accessed Patel’s personal and confidential information, including emails and documents. It also criticised US authorities for offering a reward for information on its members.

“This is the security that the U.S. government boasts about?! This is the cyber giant that thinks threats and bribes can silence the voice of resistance?! To the whole world, we declare: the FBI is just a name, and behind this name, there is no real security. If your director can be compromised this easily, what do you expect from your lower-level employees?” the statement read.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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