Former German Spy Chief Arrested on Treason Charges
August Hanning, ex-head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, is accused of passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence agency.
BERLIN – A former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, has been arrested on suspicion of treasonous espionage and passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence service. August Hanning, 80, who led the BND from 1998 to 2005, was taken into custody Tuesday in southern Germany.
Authorities also arrested a former aide, identified as Manfred D., in western Germany, charging him with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. The federal prosecutor's office stated that the premises of both men were searched.
Manfred D. worked as Hanning's chief of staff and later held similar positions for subsequent BND presidents from 2012 until 2026, according to the prosecutor's office. In this capacity, he had access to classified information.
Investigators believe that starting in 2010, Manfred D. continuously transmitted valuable intelligence from the BND to Hanning in exchange for payment. The prosecutor's office stated that Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents over the years, many containing classified information intended for internal use by the federal intelligence service.
Hanning allegedly used this information in his private consulting work. On one occasion, he is accused of using classified intelligence from Manfred D. to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service. The statement did not identify the foreign country or agent involved, and it remains undetermined if the material reached its intended recipient. Hanning was also reportedly in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service for several years, passing on political information, some of which was based on material provided by Manfred D.
The investigation leading to Tuesday's arrests originated from evidence discovered during a search of Hanning's residence in connection with a separate inquiry into the alleged abduction of children belonging to Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block. In that case, Hanning and a retired official from the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office are suspected of accepting a contract in 2022 to abduct the children on behalf of Block's ex-husband.