German authorities have arrested former head of the country’s foreign intelligence agency, August Hanning, over allegations including espionage, disclosure of state secrets and attempted treason.
The federal prosecutor’s office announced Hanning’s arrest on Tuesday, saying the former Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) chief was also suspected of acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service. Authorities did not disclose the foreign service he is allegedly linked to.
Hanning, who led the BND from December 1998 to November 2005, was later appointed state secretary at the Federal Interior Ministry, where he served until November 2009.
Prosecutors also announced the arrest of another former senior BND employee, identified under Germany’s privacy laws as Manfred D. He is accused of providing Hanning with hundreds of classified documents in exchange for money and faces charges of aiding and abetting attempted treason and espionage.
Hanning was arrested early Tuesday at his home in Nordwalde, near Münster in western Germany, while Manfred D. was taken into custody in Bavaria. Authorities also searched properties belonging to both suspects as well as locations in Berlin.
According to prosecutors, Manfred D. served as Hanning’s chief of staff during his tenure as BND director and later worked under him at the Interior Ministry. He subsequently returned to the BND, where he served as chief of staff to Hanning’s successors from 2012 until March 2026.
Investigators allege that D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents over several years, many of which contained classified information intended exclusively for internal use by Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service.
Prosecutors said the alleged transfer of information continued until at least mid-2022, with Hanning reportedly using some of the material in his private consulting activities.
Hanning is also accused of maintaining close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service and passing political information to that individual over several years. Investigators believe some of the information was based on classified material allegedly supplied by Manfred D.
The investigation reportedly emerged from Hanning’s connection to a high-profile trial involving businesswoman Christine Block, with prosecutors alleging that the arrangement between the two suspects dates back to 2010.
The arrests have triggered strong reactions in Germany, with Michaela Küfner, DW’s chief political editor, describing the case as potentially the country’s “biggest espionage scandal of the century” unfolding in real time.
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, said Germany would not tolerate the betrayal of state secrets. Opposition lawmaker Konstantin von Notz described the allegations as deeply troubling and called for a swift and thorough investigation.
The two suspects are expected to appear before investigating judges on Tuesday and Wednesday as authorities continue their probe into the alleged espionage network and the handling of classified government information.
