August Hanning, former BND chief, arrested on espionage charges: 2,000 classified documents sold
The former director of Germany's foreign intelligence service BND, August Hanning, was arrested on Tuesday, suspected of paying for access to secret documents that were subsequently passed to a foreign intelligence service.
Former BND director detained following accidental discovery of highly classified documents
ProTV News reports that August Hanning, who headed Germany's foreign intelligence service BND between 1998 and 2005, was arrested on Tuesday after investigators suspected him of paying for access to classified documents used subsequently in an analysis intended for a foreign intelligence service, according to Reuters.
Hanning is currently 80 years old. Detained alongside him was Manfred D. — identified as such in accordance with confidentiality regulations in force — a former BND bureau chief who is said to have supplied approximately 2,000 documents over several years. These included material classified exclusively for BND internal use, as well as high-level intelligence briefings from the Federal Chancellery.
Prosecutors claim that, five years after his mandate ended, Hanning agreed with Manfred D. to receive confidential security information on a regular basis in exchange for payments. Using this information, the former director allegedly compiled security analyses for an officer of a foreign intelligence service and communicated data to a representative of another external service. Investigators consider it possible that the number of international beneficiaries of this information may be greater.
Prosecutors have not publicly identified the intelligence services involved and it was unclear on Tuesday evening whether the analyses actually reached their intended recipients. According to a joint investigation by Sueddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, the central suspicion is that Hanning used the information in his private consultancy work for financial gain. Sources from the publications specify that the intelligence service for which he compiled at least one analysis was not the Russian one.
Accidental discovery, year-long secret investigation
The case came to light accidentally in September 2025, when police carried out a search at Hanning's residence in connection with a completely different case — an investigation into the alleged involvement of a private security firm associated with him in an attempted abduction of children. On that occasion, investigators found an electronic device containing numerous highly classified BND documents.
The federal prosecutor assumed the case in May 2026 and opened a secret investigation. On Tuesday, police carried out arrests and searches in the states of Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. Both suspects were to be presented before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice.
Neither Hanning nor the BND responded to requests for comment. The Federal Chancellery also declined to comment and redirected questions to prosecutors.
Firm parliamentary reaction
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the parliamentary oversight committee for intelligence services, condemned the arrest of the former director on Tuesday in a statement to the AFP. "A former leader of the institution who discloses secret information does not merely breach his obligations, but also betrays all the values of Germany's security services. Whoever allies themselves with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be exposed. We will not tolerate any betrayal of secrets," Henrichmann wrote.
Context: longstanding questions about ties with Russia
Sueddeutsche Zeitung recalls that in German security circles there have for some time been questions about Hanning's relations with Russia, without any evidence ever existing that he worked for Moscow. Among the elements cited: in 2013, Hanning testified in London in favour of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, and later engaged in consultancy activities in the sphere of business with Russia.
After his mandate at BND ended in 2005, Angela Merkel appointed him state secretary at the Interior Ministry, a position he held until 2009.
The scandal comes at a sensitive moment for Germany's intelligence service: new BND director Martin Jäger is attempting to reform the institution and obtain expanded powers from the Bundestag. The case is added to that of Carsten L., a former BND official on trial for the alleged transmission to Russia of secret information, including about cyber operations targeting the Wagner group.
Source: Știrile ProTV