Former BND chief August Hanning arrested on espionage and treason charges
Germany's ex-spy chief August Hanning has been arrested on suspicion of espionage, treason, and passing classified documents. A former aide was also detained in Bavaria.
Germany's 'biggest espionage scandal of the century' unfolds with arrest of ex-BND chief
Germany's federal prosecutor's office announced Tuesday the arrest of August Hanning, former head of the BND foreign intelligence agency, on suspicion of espionage, disclosure of state secrets, attempted treason, and working as an agent for a foreign intelligence service, Times of Malta reports.
Hanning led the BND from December 1998 to November 2005, before taking up a role as state secretary at the Federal Interior Ministry until November 2009. Police detained him early Tuesday at his home in Nordwalde, near the western German city of Münster.
A second suspect, identified only as Manfred D. under German privacy laws, was simultaneously taken into custody in Bavaria. During Hanning's tenure as BND chief, Manfred D. served as his chief of staff — a role he subsequently held again under Hanning's successors at the agency from 2012 to March 2026, granting him access to a large volume of classified materials.
Prosecutors allege that the two men devised their arrangement in 2010. According to the prosecutor's statement, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents over the years, many containing classified information intended exclusively for internal BND use. The transfer of documents is said to have continued until at least mid-2022. Manfred D. is accused of supplying the material in exchange for payment, and faces charges of "aiding and abetting attempted treason and espionage against the state."
Hanning is alleged to have used the classified information in his private consulting work. He is further accused of maintaining "close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D., for several years." The prosecutor's office did not name the foreign service involved.
Authorities conducted simultaneous searches at both suspects' properties and at locations in Berlin.
DW's chief political editor Michaela Küfner, reporting from a government press briefing, described the case as Germany's "biggest espionage scandal of the century unfolding in real time."
Marc Henrichmann, chair of the German parliament's intelligence oversight committee, responded to the arrests with a firm statement. "Germany will not tolerate the betrayal of secrets," he told the AFP news agency. "Whoever allies themselves with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be found out."
The investigation into Hanning reportedly began through his connection to a high-profile trial involving businesswoman Christine Block. Both suspects were expected to appear before an investigating judge on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Source: Times of Malta