Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office has said a former domestic intelligence chief was arrested on Tuesday on espionage allegations. August Hanning was president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from December 1998 to November 2005. He is “strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and espionage”, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Hanning was arrested in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany. A former aide of his, identified only as Manfred D, was also arrested on Tuesday in Steinfurt in western Germany. Manfred D is charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.
The prosecutor’s office did not reveal who the men were suspected of spying for. The prosecutor’s office said Manfred D had worked as Hanning’s chief of staff. After Hanning’s tenure at the BND, he became chief of staff for several subsequent presidents of the BND from March 2012 until March 2026.
Both suspects are believed by prosecutors to have agreed, in the spring of 2010, to Manfred D continuously transmitting valuable intelligence from the BND to Hanning “in exchange for remuneration”. Hanning had used the information in his private consulting work, it added. The office said: “On one occasion, Hanning used classified intelligence provided by Manfred D to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service.” The office did not say which country the foreign agent worked for, adding: “It has yet to be determined if the material reached the intended recipient.” The premises of both men were searched on Tuesday.
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