Former German intelligence chief arrested on suspicion of treason and espionage
Former German foreign intelligence chief August Hanning has been arrested on suspicion of treason-related offenses and espionage after investigators found that he allegedly had access to around 2,000 classified BND documents years after leaving the agency.
Hanning, who headed Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, was detained at his home near Münster on Oct. 6, according to German public broadcasters WDR and NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Prosecutors also arrested Manfred D., Hanning’s former chief of staff, who continued working for the BND until spring 2026. Investigators suspect he supplied Hanning with highly classified intelligence for money until at least 2022.
The material allegedly included briefings prepared for weekly intelligence meetings at the German chancellery, reports on Iran’s nuclear program and the Russian military, as well as information provided by foreign partner intelligence services.
Investigators are examining whether Hanning passed information derived from the documents to foreign intelligence actors. In at least one case, he allegedly prepared a security analysis for a foreign intelligence service. German media reported that the service in question was not Russian.
The case emerged after police searched Hanning’s property in September 2025 as part of an unrelated investigation and discovered a data carrier containing recent classified BND documents that he should not have possessed.
German media described the potential compromise of intelligence supplied by partner agencies as a worst-case scenario for the BND, as it could undermine allies’ willingness to share sensitive information.
If the allegations are confirmed, the case would be unprecedented in modern German history: no former intelligence official of Hanning’s rank has previously been suspected of treason.