Former BND Chief August Hanning arrested on espionage and treason charges
German prosecutors have accused August Hanning, the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service, of espionage and attempted treason. Another former intelligence official allegedly passed more than a thousand secret documents to him.
Former BND Chief arrested on espionage and treason charges
German prosecutors have accused August Hanning, the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), of espionage, disclosure of state secrets and attempted treason. The authorities arrested the 80-year-old on Tuesday, as 444.hu reported.
In addition to Hanning, another former senior BND employee was taken into custody. The suspect, a man named Manfred D., is alleged to have passed more than a thousand secret documents to Hanning in exchange for money.
Hanning headed the German foreign intelligence service from December 1998 to November 2005. He subsequently worked as State Secretary in the Federal Interior Ministry until 2009. According to investigators, Hanning and Manfred D. agreed to cooperate in 2010. Manfred D. worked in the BND's senior management from 2012 to 2026 and had access to numerous classified files. By 2022, he is said to have sent nearly two thousand such documents to Hanning. The former intelligence chief allegedly used the information in his private consulting practice.
The prosecution also believes that Hanning maintained close contact for years with a representative of a foreign intelligence service. He is suspected of having provided political information to them, some of which was based on the leaked documents.
Authorities are currently searching the apartments of the two arrested men and properties in Berlin. A political chief editor at Deutsche Welle described the case as Germany's largest espionage scandal of the 21st century. Court proceedings could begin within the next one to two days.
Source: 444