Ex-BND Chief Hanning in custody on espionage charges
The former president of the German Federal Intelligence Service August Hanning is in custody following his arrest. He faces charges of espionage and treason.
Ex-BND Chief Hanning arrested
The former president of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning (80), is in custody on suspicion of espionage. An investigative judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe issued an arrest warrant against the 80-year-old on Wednesday, the Federal Prosecutor's Office announced. Hanning was arrested on Tuesday in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses Hanning of intelligence agent activity, espionage for the purposes of treason, reconnaissance of state secrets, and attempted treason. According to information from BILD, Hanning's lawyer already gained access to case files during the custody review.
Hanning's former office manager at the BND, Manfred D., was also taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of aiding attempted treason. The two worked together for more than twenty years, according to authorities. The office manager is said to have continuously passed on internal BND findings to Hanning for payment from 2010 onwards, which Hanning is alleged to have used profitably in his advisory work.
In at least one case, Hanning is said to have used classified information in an analysis intended for an employee of a foreign intelligence service. The Federal Prosecutor's Office was unable to determine whether the information reached the recipient. The affected country was not named.
As BND chief (1998-2005) and later as state secretary for the interior (2005-2009), Hanning held central responsibility for German security.
Source: BILD