Former German intelligence chief August Hanning arrested on treason charges
Theo Al Jazeera English
August Hanning, who led Germany's BND from 1998 to 2005, has been arrested on suspicion of treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets and conspiracy to commit treason. Prosecutors say he passed some 2,000 classified documents, some involving Iran's nuclear program and the Russian military, to foreign intelligence contacts after leaving office.
Germany's federal prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday that it had arrested August Hanning, 80, the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, on charges of "treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets and conspiracy to commit treason" through contacts with foreign intelligence agencies.
According to prosecutors, Hanning is accused of using classified intelligence to "draft an analysis" for a foreign intelligence agency and of maintaining "close contact" with another foreign spy service over "many years" while working as a private consultant.
Specifically, in 2010 Hanning is alleged to have agreed to receive secret information from his former department chief — referred to only as "Manfred D," who held his post until March of this year — and to prepare to supply an "analysis" to a foreign power in exchange for money. It remains unclear whether the analysis was ever shared.
Hanning is also accused of passing sensitive political information, partly based on data provided by Manfred D, to a contact representing another foreign intelligence agency. Manfred D was arrested the same day on charges of aiding and abetting conspiracy to commit treason and treasonous espionage.
According to the prosecutor's statement, the two suspects are said to have agreed in the spring of 2010 that Manfred D would continuously pass valuable intelligence from the BND to Hanning in exchange for payment. Over the years, Manfred D provided Hanning with roughly 2,000 documents, "many of which contained classified information intended exclusively for the BND's internal use, particularly operational intelligence reports."
Prosecutors allege that Hanning exploited this information in the private consulting work he took up after leaving the BND's leadership.
The case came to light during an investigation into a separate kidnapping involving German businesswoman Christina Block, heiress to a steakhouse chain. In that case, Hamburg prosecutors accuse Block of organizing the kidnapping of her two young children in 2023 amid a custody dispute. Hanning is accused of connecting Block with an Israeli private intelligence firm to carry out the abduction. The former intelligence chief and a police officer are alleged to have received more than 100,000 euros ($112,000) from Block to bring her children back from Denmark — where they were living with her ex-husband. The trial is ongoing.
Who is August Hanning?
Born in 1946 in Nordwalde, Westphalia, in western Germany, Hanning served as BND director from 1998 to 2005, then moved to the Federal Ministry of the Interior as a state secretary until 2009. He later worked as a private consultant.
German media reports and images showed Hanning being led by masked officers from his red-brick home in Nordwalde, near Munster, to an armored vehicle on Tuesday morning.
Prosecutors' allegations
Prosecutors accuse Hanning of using classified intelligence to draft an analysis for a foreign intelligence agency and of maintaining close contact with another foreign spy service for years. They allege that in 2010 Hanning agreed to receive secret information from Manfred D and prepared to supply the analysis to a foreign power in exchange for money.
Hanning is also accused of passing sensitive political information to a contact at another foreign intelligence agency. Manfred D was arrested the same day on charges of aiding and abetting.
According to prosecutors, the two agreed in the spring of 2010 that Manfred D would pass some 2,000 classified documents to Hanning. Many of the documents contained classified information intended solely for the BND's internal use, particularly operational intelligence reports.
About the documents handed over
Few details have emerged about the contents of the 2,000 documents, but the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported that some relate to Iran's nuclear program and the Russian military. Other documents are said to be highly classified and were rated top secret by allied foreign intelligence agencies.
Government reaction
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the German parliament's intelligence oversight committee, told AFP that Berlin would not "tolerate the betrayal of secrets." He said: "Anyone who allies with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be found out," adding that Hanning's alleged actions "trample on his official duties."
The BND's current director, Martin Jaeger, told the Rheinische Post that the agency had "quickly launched extensive internal investigations" into its former chief before federal prosecutors took over the case. Jaeger insisted: "For the BND and for me personally, there is no compromise when it comes to internal security," adding that the case "does not call into question my goals or priorities."
Similar spy scandals in Germany
In 2023, a senior German intelligence officer identified as "Carsten L" was charged with treason after prosecutors accused him of obtaining classified information about the war in Ukraine and the Wagner mercenary group and sharing it with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The case is ongoing.
In 1974, West German Chancellor Willy Brandt was forced to resign after it emerged that an East German spy had served as his close aide for nearly two years.
