ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Niels Troost and The Arkin Group and Victoria Kataoka have settled their respective lawsuit and counterclaim against one another concerning statements The Arkin Group made about Mr. Troost at the London Offshore Alert Conference on December 2, 2024 and during the Targeted podcast released in March 2025.

Mr. Troost acknowledges that The Arkin Group and Ms. Kataoka were not complicit in or aware of any disinformation campaign against Mr. Troost or others close to him, and they made statements that were based on the information that was available to them at the time.

Mr. Troost has now provided to The Arkin Group and Ms. Kataoka copies of recordings of certain conversations between him and Gaurav Srivastava that they did not have prior to their statements. The Arkin Group and Ms. Kataoka have determined that the consistent content of the recordings, the mannerisms of speech, and the presentation of certain facts throughout the recordings substantiated that the recordings are authentic. This determination was reinforced by the technical analysis by a qualified forensic audio expert and supporting documentation provided by Mr. Troost. These recordings and documentation reflect that Mr. Srivastava claimed to Mr. Troost and others that he was a U.S. intelligence operative.

Based on this new information, The Arkin Group and Ms. Kataoka believe their statements that Mr. Troost falsely claimed that Mr. Srivastava posed as a U.S. intelligence operative during their dealings were inaccurate and they withdraw all such statements about Mr. Troost.

Mr. Troost acknowledges that The Arkin Group and Ms. Kataoka acted in good faith and with professionalism. Finally, Mr. Troost acknowledges that he does not allege and does not intend to insinuate that The Arkin Group and Ms. Kataoka were part of the RICO enterprise he alleges in his federal lawsuit against Mr. Srivastava and others.

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SOURCE Clare Locke LLP