WASHINGTON (AP) — A pro-Iranian hacking group claimed Friday to have hacked an account of FBI Director Kash Patel and posted online what appear to be years-old photographs of him, along with a work resume and other personal documents dating back more than a decade.
“Kash Patel, the current head of the FBI, who once saw his name displayed with pride on the agency’s headquarters, will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” said a message posted Friday from the group Handala.
The message was accompanied by a collection of photographs of Patel, including ones of him standing beside an antique sports car and another with a cigar in his mouth. The group also said that it was making available for download emails and other documents from Patel's account. Many of the records appeared to relate to his personal travels and business from more than 10 years ago
“The FBI is aware of malicious actors targeting Director Patel's personal email information, and we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity,” the FBI said in a statement. “The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information.”
The FBI statement did not identify the hackers believed responsible for the breach, but it noted that the Trump administration is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of members of the Handala hacking group — an entity it said “has frequently targeted U.S. government officials.”
It was not clear when the hack claimed by Handala might have occurred. News reports from December 2024, before Patel was confirmed as director, said that Patel had been informed by FBI that he had been targeted as part of an Iranian hack.
Handala is a pro-Iranian, pro-Palestinian hacking group that earlier this month claimed credit for disrupting systems at Stryker, a Michigan-based medical technology company. Handala said the attack was in retaliation for suspected U.S. strikes that killed Iranian schoolchildren. They’re a prominent example of the proxy groups that carry out cyber attacks on behalf of Iran.
Associated Press writer David Klepper in Washington contributed to this report.
FBI Director Kash Patel, listens during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing to examine worldwide threats, Thursday, March 19, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's Navy searched for a second day for two missing sailboats carrying nine people bound for Cuba with humanitarian aid, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.
The announcement came after reports that the ships had been found by the U.S. Coast Guard. Mexican authorities said Thursday the vessels departed from Isla Mujeres in southern Mexico on March 20.
The disappearance comes as an increasing number of countries and aid organizations send shipments of aid to Cuba as a U.S. fuel blockade causes crippling blackouts and pushes the Caribbean nation to the brink of collapse. The loss of contact with the vessels has fueled concern in Cuba, Mexico and beyond.
“From our country, we are doing everything possible in the search and rescue of these brothers in struggle,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote in a social media post on Friday.
Despite reports that the ships had been found by the U.S. Coast Guard, Mexico's Navy said authorities have received no communication or confirmation of the vessels’ arrival in Cuba. The U.S. Coast Guard told AP they were not involved in search efforts.
On Friday, the organization Nuestra América Convoy, said that based on the speed of the vessels reported to the Cuban maritime authorities, the window of arrival for the boats in Havana should be between Friday and Saturday. The organization made an open call for any information or sightings of the boats.
The captains and crews are experienced sailors, and both vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signaling equipment.
"We are cooperating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the crews’ ability to reach Havana safely," the organization said in a statement.
A first vessel from the Convoy Nuestra América, carrying 14 tons of food and medicine, 73 solar panels and about a dozen bicycles, arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
As part of the search efforts, the Mexican navy alerted naval commands in Isla Mujeres and Yucalpetén, as well as naval search, rescue and surveillance stations. It also worked with maritime rescue coordination centers in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, along with diplomatic representatives from the countries of origin of those on board.
Search operations involve navy vessels and Persuader-type aircraft, which are carrying out maritime and aerial search patterns along the estimated route between Isla Mujeres and Havana. The efforts take into account possible course changes, as well as prevailing weather conditions and ocean currents in the region.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Activists from the vessel Maguro, that arrived from Mexico, unload solar panels and other humanitarian aid from the "Nuestra America," or Our America convoy, at the port in Havana Bay, Cuba, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (Jorge Luis Banos/IPS via AP, Pool)
Activists wave Cuban and Palestinian flags from the vessel Maguro, arriving from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the "Nuestra America," or Our America convoy, in Havana Bay, Cuba, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Luis Banos)
