Germany arrests former spy chief over treason and espionage allegations

Germany’s former foreign intelligence chief August Hanning was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of treasonous espionage and passing sensitive information to overseas intelligence services, the federal prosecutor’s office said.Hanning, 80, headed Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, from December 1998 to November 2005. Prosecutors said he is “strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason, and espionage.”A former aide, identified as Manfred D, was also arrested. He was detained in Steinfurt in western Germany, while Hanning was arrested in Bad Toelz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany. Manfred D is suspected of aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.The prosecutor’s office did not identify the foreign intelligence service or services allegedly involved.According to prosecutors, Hanning and Manfred D agreed in spring 2010 that the former aide would continuously provide Hanning with intelligence from the BND “in exchange for remuneration”.Manfred D had served as Hanning’s chief of staff and later held the same position for several of Hanning’s successors between March 2012 and March 2026. Prosecutors said that role gave him access to confidential material.“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, particularly for executive intelligence briefings,” the prosecutor’s office said, according to AP.Prosecutors further alleged that “on one occasion, Hanning used classified intelligence ... to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service”, although investigators have not established whether the material reached its 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”.German broadcaster ARD, citing security sources, reported that the material allegedly included information concerning Iran’s nuclear programme and the Russian army. Some of it was reportedly obtained from partner intelligence agencies abroad.Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, told AFP that Germany would “not tolerate the betrayal of secrets”.“Whoever allies themselves with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be found out,” Henrichmann said, adding that Hanning’s alleged conduct would represent “trampling his official duties underfoot”.The investigation reportedly emerged from a separate case involving Christina Block, a steakhouse chain heiress on trial over the alleged kidnapping of her children. Hanning’s property was searched in September 2025 as part of that investigation.Premises linked to both suspects were searched at several locations, including Berlin.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.