Spain arrests two over data leaks targeting state officials, journalists

Spanish police arrested a 19-year-old computer science student and an accomplice for allegedly leaking the personal data of senior government officials and journalists, authorities said on Tuesday.

The main suspect, identified as Yoel OQ, was detained at his parents’ home on the island of Gran Canaria. His alleged accomplice, Cristian Ezequiel SM, was also arrested, according to local media citing law enforcement sources.

🚩Dos detenidos en #LasPalmas por la venta de datos sensibles de altas personalidades del #Estado y del #Gobierno

🔴Utilizaban distintos perfiles digitales, uno de los detenidos también exfiltró #datospersonales de periodistas y credenciales de acceso vinculadas a distintos… pic.twitter.com/4RrSCnpQGQ

— Policía Nacional (@policia) July 1, 2025

Spain’s Interior Ministry said Yoel was responsible for stealing and leaking personal data belonging to high-ranking political figures, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, President of the Congress of Deputies Francina Armengol and Catalonia’s President Salvador Illa. The leaked data included phone numbers, addresses, ID numbers and email accounts.

Authorities described the pair as “a very serious threat to national security.” The suspects are also accused of selling access to stolen data and tools used to obtain it. They asked their customers to pay in cryptocurrency to make the transactions more difficult to trace, according to the ministry.

Investigators believe the two were active in far-right Telegram channels with more than 90,000 followers, where at least three major data leaks were shared in June. The leaks targeted individuals involved in Spain’s ongoing “Koldo case” corruption investigation, in which officials allegedly collected illegal commissions on face mask contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two suspects were transferred to Madrid to testify before the National Court. Both are under investigation for alleged terrorism and cyberterrorism, with charges including destabilizing state institutions and intimidating political and media figures. One suspect’s lawyer told local media his client “had nothing to do” with the alleged crimes.

During raids, police seized large quantities of computer equipment for further examination.

In a separate case this week, Spanish police arrested five individuals in Madrid and the Canary Islands suspected of laundering more than $542 million through an international cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme. The network defrauded over 5,000 victims worldwide using a Hong Kong-based shell company and a complex web of crypto exchanges and shell accounts.