Former German foreign intelligence chief August Hanning was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of attempted treason for allegedly paying to access secret documents and using them to prepare an analysis for a foreign spy service. Federal prosecutors stated that Hanning, a former head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), agreed with a former BND office manager to receive confidential intelligence information in exchange for payment.
Prosecutors identified the former BND office manager as Manfred D., who was also arrested on Tuesday. Both Hanning and Manfred D. were due to appear before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice. According to prosecutors, Hanning is strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets, attempted treason, and espionage.
The investigation revealed that Manfred D. supplied around 2,000 documents over the years, including classified material intended solely for internal use within the BND and senior-level intelligence briefings at the chancellery. Hanning used the classified information to prepare an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service and shared political information with a representative of the spy agency.
BND President Martin Jaeger stated that the agency had launched extensive internal investigations as soon as suspicions emerged. Jaeger emphasized that there can be no compromises on internal security. The chancellery declined to comment on the matter, while Hanning did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The case does not involve Russia, according to information obtained by the SZ newspaper. This development comes amid a series of notorious espionage scandals in Germany. In 1974, West German Chancellor Willy Brandt was forced to resign after it was revealed that an East German spy had worked as his close aide for nearly two years.
In 1990, a senior West German counter-intelligence official was exposed for spying for East Germany throughout the 1980s and was later convicted of treason. More recently, former domestic intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen stated in 2024 that he was being monitored by the security agency he once ran over alleged right-wing political extremism, which he denied.
August Hanning's arrest marks a significant development in a high-profile case. The former German spy chief served as the head of the BND intelligence service from 1998 to 2005. His arrest and charges have raised concerns about security breaches and espionage activities within Germany's intelligence agencies.
Key points
- August Hanning, former head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, was arrested on suspicion of attempted treason and obtaining state secrets.
- Hanning allegedly paid for access to secret documents and used them to prepare an analysis for a foreign spy service.
- The case is part of a series of notorious espionage scandals in Germany, including the exposure of East German spies within West German government agencies.
