BERLIN: Germany has arrested former Federal Intelligence Service (BND) chief August Hanning on serious suspicions of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and espionage, in a case that has sent shockwaves through Germany’s intelligence establishment.

Hanning, who headed Germany’s foreign intelligence service from December 1998 until the end of November 2005, was arrested on October 6, 2026, along with his former chief of staff, Manfred D. Federal prosecutors said the arrests were carried out by officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office under warrants issued by an investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice.

Hanning was detained in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district of Bavaria, while Manfred D. was arrested in the Steinfurt district of North Rhine-Westphalia. Investigators also launched searches at properties linked to the suspects in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin.

According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, Hanning is strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and acting as an intelligence agent. Manfred D. is accused of aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.

The explosive investigation alleges that Hanning and Manfred D. reached an agreement in spring 2010 under which Manfred D. would provide Hanning with valuable BND intelligence in return for payment. Prosecutors believe the material was subsequently used by Hanning in his private consulting activities.

Investigators believe Manfred D. supplied Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents over the years, many of them classified and intended exclusively for internal BND use. Some reportedly consisted of highly sensitive intelligence briefings prepared for senior German government and security officials.

In one particularly serious allegation, prosecutors say Hanning used classified intelligence supplied by Manfred D. to prepare an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service. Authorities have not established whether the material actually reached the intended recipient.

Prosecutors also allege that Hanning maintained close contact for several years with a representative of another foreign intelligence service and passed political information to that person, some of it based on material allegedly obtained from Manfred D. The German authorities have not publicly identified the foreign intelligence services involved.

German media reports say some of the allegedly compromised material concerned Iran’s nuclear programme, the Russian military and information originating from foreign partner intelligence agencies. German broadcasters have reported that the foreign service allegedly linked to Hanning was not Russia, although the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has not publicly named the country or agency.

The investigation reportedly emerged from a separate case involving Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block. During a search of Hanning’s premises in September 2025 as part of that investigation, authorities discovered material that subsequently triggered the intelligence investigation. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office formally took over the case in early May 2026 and has been working with the BND and Federal Criminal Police Office.

Hanning later served as State Secretary at Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior. His former chief of staff, Manfred D., returned to the BND in 2012 and served as chief of staff to several successive agency presidents until March 2026, giving him continued access to highly sensitive intelligence.

The case is being described by German media as potentially one of the most serious intelligence scandals in the history of the Federal Republic. The allegations, however, remain allegations at this stage; neither Hanning nor Manfred D. has been convicted, and the investigation is ongoing.