Arion Kurtaj, the individual accused of leaking significant amounts of Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage, is reportedly back in prison and has allegedly been communicating with the internet through a burner phone. Kurtaj was previously held in a secure hospital in the UK for over two years following his arrest in 2023.
At 18 years old, Kurtaj gained notoriety for releasing approximately 90 videos showcasing an early, unreleased build of Grand Theft Auto 6. The leaked content, which amounted to 50 minutes of gameplay, featured elements such as driving, combat, police pursuits, and scenes set in a strip club. Much of the footage was in an unfinished state and only accessible through a debug menu. At the time of his arrest, Kurtaj was already out on bail due to a previous hacking incident involving Nvidia. Authorities stated that he infiltrated Rockstar Games from a hotel room using only an Amazon Fire Stick, identifying himself as an "attacker" on the company's internal Slack and allegedly threatening to release the game's source code.
Kurtaj was part of the hacking group Lapsus$, and at least one other minor was detained in connection with the incidents. The scale of the Grand Theft Auto 6 leak is believed to have influenced Rockstar's decision to officially announce the game later in 2023 and reportedly cost the company $5 million.
Following his indictment on 12 charges, Kurtaj's doctors determined he was unfit to stand trial due to acute autism and a reported desire to continue hacking. This led to his indefinite confinement in a hospital until he was deemed no longer a threat. According to BBC reporter Joe Tidy, Kurtaj has now met the criteria for release from the hospital and has been returned to prison, although the exact timeline of this transfer remains unclear.
Recent social media posts, purportedly written by Kurtaj, describe his hospital stay as "amazing" and refer to the charges against him as "bullshit." These messages, allegedly composed using a burner Nokia phone, detail activities such as community access, fishing, cooking, and weekly shopping and fishing allowances. The posts also claim that Kurtaj's associates still possess the Grand Theft Auto 6 source code and intend to release it after the game's launch. While these claims are unverified, Kurtaj appears to maintain a pattern of provocative online behavior as he awaits trial.