Former BND chief arrested over alleged espionage and treason
Prosecutors allege August Hanning received about 2,000 documents from former bureau chief Manfred D, many classified, in exchange for payment.
Former German intelligence chief August Hanning and former bureau chief Manfred D have been arrested on allegations of treasonous espionage and attempted treason, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Prosecutors say Manfred D supplied Hanning with about 2,000 documents over several years, many containing classified material intended for internal use by the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). They allege the transfers were made in exchange for payment and that Hanning was to use the information in private consulting work.
The prosecutor’s office has not identified the foreign intelligence services allegedly involved. German media reports have described possible foreign contacts, but those details have not been confirmed by prosecutors.
The alleged activity emerged during an investigation into a separate kidnapping case involving businesswoman Christina Block. Hanning is accused in that ongoing case of connecting Block with a private Israeli intelligence firm in relation to the alleged 2023 abduction of her children.
Hanning led the BND from 1998 to 2005 and later held senior roles in the Interior Ministry. The arrests place allegations about access to intelligence and its handling at the centre of a case involving a former head of the agency.
