Finnish police issue EU-wide arrest warrant for Vastaamo hacker Aleksanteri Kivimäki
Finnish authorities have activated a European Arrest Warrant to locate 29-year-old Aleksanteri Kivimäki, the convicted Vastaamo data-breach hacker, and seek his arrest across EU member states.
Finnish police have launched a Europe-wide search for Aleksanteri Kivimäki, the 29-year-old convicted of breaching the Vastaamo psychotherapy centre’s patient records and attempting to extort money from the clinic and its clients. After skipping a correctional facility, a nationwide wanted notice was issued in July, and authorities now rely on a European Arrest Warrant that covers all EU states and Norway. Kivimäki received a six-year-three-month sentence in April 2024, later extended to six years-eleven months on appeal, but was released from pre-trial detention pending concerns over compensation eligibility.
His legal history includes a 2022 EAW, a brief arrest in France in February 2023, and another disappearance in early 2024 before being located in Helsinki for a short period. Lawyer Peter Jaari indicated Kivimäki is likely abroad, while another attorney, Jenni Raiskio, highlighted the tragic fallout for victims whose relatives took their own lives after the data leak. The case remains the most extensive privacy-invasion prosecution in Finland.
Why it matters
The hunt for a major cyber-criminal underscores cross-border cooperation against data-theft and extortion.
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