Former German spy chief arrested for espionage and treason
August Hanning is accused of obtaining classified information for a foreign power.
Former German spy chief arrested on espionage and treason charges
Former German spy chief August Hanning has been detained on suspicion of espionage, treason and obtaining classified information for a foreign power, according to the German Federal Prosecutor's Office.
Hanning led the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005 and has since worked as a private consultant.
Prosecutors say he used classified intelligence to "draft an analysis" for one foreign intelligence service and kept in touch with another foreign spying service. Investigators have not said which foreign powers were involved.
Police also arrested former BND employee Mandred D, accusing him of supplying Hanning with about 2,000 classified documents in return for money.
Manfred D, who was Hanning's bureau chief and stayed with the BND until this year, is charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.
Local media reported that Hanning was arrested at his home in Nordwalde near Münster, while Manfred D was arrested in Bavaria. Hanning is due in court on Wednesday, and Manfred D is scheduled to appear on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Mandred D, who also served as chief of staff for Hanning's successors between 2012 and 2026, used his position to obtain highly confidential information, which he then passed to Hanning "in exchange for remuneration".
"The current findings suggest that, over the years, Manfred D provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many of which contained classified information to be used exclusively by the Federal Intelligence Service for internal purposes," the statement says.
"On one occasion, Hanning used classified intelligence ... to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service," prosecutors said, adding that it was unclear whether "the material reached the intended recipient".
Hanning is also accused of being "in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D, for several years".
Local media say Hanning's alleged possession of intelligence documents came to light during a separate case involving German steakhouse heiress Christina Block.
The Hamburg public prosecutor's office accused Block of arranging the kidnapping of her two youngest children in 2023 amid a custody dispute. Investigators allege Hanning was involved in an earlier attempted kidnapping of the children, which he denies.
State criminal police officers reportedly found an electronic data storage device containing sensitive information, including recent BND documents.
This is not the first time the BND has faced similar controversy. A senior German intelligence officer was charged with treason in 2023 for allegedly passing state secrets to Russia.
Prosecutors alleged that Carsten L shared intelligence on the war in Ukraine and the Wagner mercenary group and received about €400,000 ($450,000; £340,000). His trial is still under way.
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