Spain arrests suspected hacker for publishing personal data of police, prosecutors and cyber officials

Spanish police have arrested a local hacker suspected of leaking personal information belonging to members of some of the country's most sensitive government institutions, according to a statement released on Monday.

The National Police said officers detained the individual last week in the southern province of Granada after tracing the online publication of personal data linked to officials from the National Police, Civil Guard, Attorney General's Office, National Security Council and Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), among other government bodies.

Authorities searched the suspect's home and seized computer equipment and other electronic devices that are now undergoing forensic analysis.

Police described the incident as a large-scale disclosure of sensitive personal information that posed a threat to both the affected individuals and the institutions they serve. The data was allegedly posted on multiple internet platforms.

Authorities warned that such disclosures can expose public officials to harassment, threats, extortion attempts and coordinated targeting campaigns.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek to determine whether others were involved and whether a broader network helped spread the information online. Police did not identify the suspect or disclose a possible motive.

The arrest comes months after Spanish law enforcement arrested a 19-year-old man in northeastern Spain accused of stealing and selling roughly 64 million personal records obtained from nine companies. The police alleged that the suspect breached corporate systems to obtain large volumes of personal information before offering the data for sale on cybercrime forums.

Authorities have not indicated whether the two cases are connected.