British Teen Hacker Behind GTA 6 Leaks Sentenced To Life In Hospital

Arion Kurtaj, a British teenager engaged in a hacking spree, has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order for stealing 90 clips from the unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 game.

According to the BBC, a skilled 18-year-old hacker from Oxford, diagnosed with autism, played a crucial role in Lapsus$, a cybercrime gang that targeted tech giants like Uber and Nvidia, causing millions in damages. Deemed a public threat due to his talent and intent, he received an indefinite hospital order, remaining confined until doctors judged him safe.

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The court heard that Kurtaj had been violent while in custody, with dozens of reports of injury or property damage. Doctors deemed Kurtaj unfit to stand trial due to his acute autism, so the jury was asked to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts-not if he did so with criminal intent, the news portal further reported.

As per The Guardian's report, even after having his laptop seized, Kurtaj executed his cyber attack utilizing an Amazon Firestick, his hotel television, and a mobile phone. He infiltrated the company's internal Slack messaging system, announcing, "If Rockstar does not contact me on Telegram within 24 hours, I will start releasing the source code."

Another member of Lapsus$, aged 17 and protected by legal anonymity, was convicted in the same trial. The charges against them included two counts of fraud, two offenses under the Computer Misuse Act, and one count of blackmail. He was sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order at Guildford crown court in Surrey on Thursday.

Earlier this month, the GTA 6 trailer was released, amassing a staggering 128 million views on YouTube within a mere four days.