The hacker behind the massive GTA 6 leak in September 2022 has been released from indefinite imprisonment at a secure hospital and is now awaiting a retrial.
Arion Kurtaj, a member of the notorious worldwide hacking group named Lapsus$, is waiting for his day in court once again after he was deemed unfit to stand trial in December 2023 due to a medical diagnosis of “acute autism.”
After a jury determined that he had committed the hacks, Kurtaj was sentenced to imprisonment at a secure hospital, either for life or until he was deemed medically fit to stand trial again.
That time has finally come, as BBC correspondent Joe Tidy confirmed on Bluesky that Kurtaj is now awaiting a retrial in “normal prison,” set to take place in November 2026 — the same month GTA 6 is expected to release.
Thus far, nothing else is known about the case, nor how Kurtaj is being retried despite committing the hacking during a period of time when his mental state was so severe that it required hospitalization.
Tidy stated on LinkedIn that he’s attempting to glean more information from authorities, but says police are being extremely tight-lipped about the situation to the point that it’s “like getting blood out of a stone.”
Kurtaj’s 2022 hack was unprecedented, leaking 90 clips from GTA 6, along with its source code, on a fan forum. What’s more, he was out on bail after hacking NVIDIA and in police protection at a Travelodge when he infiltrated Rockstar’s systems, using only an Amazon Firestick, the TV at his hotel, and a cell phone to pull off the cyberattack.
Officials said Kurtaj had expressed violent behavior while in police custody, including “dozens of reports of injury or property damage,” with the BBC reporting a mental health assessment that claimed he “continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated.”
GTA 6 releases on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. You can find more information about the decade’s most-anticipated title on our hub.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.