Former BND chief arrested on suspicion of espionage

Former German intelligence chief August Hanning was arrested on suspicion of espionage on Tuesday morning, BR24 reports. Prosecutors are investigating the 80-year-old over suspected treasonous intelligence-gathering, the discovery of state secrets, attempted treason and acting as an intelligence agent.

Federal Criminal Police Office investigators arrested Hanning at his home in Nordwalde, near Münster, according to reports by NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung. They also arrested Manfred D., Hanning’s former chief of staff, in Bavaria’s Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district. D. worked for the Federal Intelligence Service, known as the BND, until spring 2026.

A Federal Court of Justice investigating judge issued an arrest warrant for D. on suspicion of aiding attempted treason and treasonous intelligence-gathering, the Federal Public Prosecutor General said. Hanning was due to be brought before an investigating judge on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege that D. continued supplying Hanning with BND information after Hanning left the service. They say D. worked as chief of staff to BND presidents from March 2012 to March 2026. Hanning led the agency from 1998 to 2005, then served as a state secretary in the Federal Interior Ministry before moving into private business as a security consultant.

According to prosecutors, the two men agreed that D. would continue passing on intelligence findings in exchange for payment. Hanning could use the information in his consulting work, prosecutors said. They allege that D. provided him with more than 2,000 documents over the years. Many were classified and intended only for internal use, including briefings for senior officials at the Chancellery. Reports on Iran’s nuclear programme and the Russian military were among the material, according to media investigations. Security sources said some documents also contained information from foreign partner services.

The investigation began after evidence was found during a search of Hanning’s home in connection with a separate case involving the alleged abduction of the children of Hamburg entrepreneur Christina Block. In autumn 2025, prosecutors said Hanning and a retired Hamburg state criminal police officer were suspected of accepting a 2022 assignment from Block, as heads of a security company, to abduct the children.

Current BND President Martin Jäger said the agency had promptly launched extensive internal investigations that corroborated the suspicions.