German authorities arrested August Hanning, the former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), on Tuesday. The federal prosecutor’s office stated that the 80-year-old is strongly suspected of treasonous espionage and spying out state secrets.
Hanning led the BND from 1998 to 2005. The charges include attempted treason and espionage. He was taken into custody at his home in Bad Toelz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany.
Alleged espionage network
Prosecutors also arrested a former aide, identified only as Manfred D., in Steinfurt in western Germany. Manfred D. served as chief of staff for Hanning and later for several subsequent BND presidents from 2012 until 2026. This role gave him access to confidential information.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the two men agreed in 2010 to a scheme where Manfred D. would transmit valuable intelligence from the BND to Hanning in exchange for payment. The investigation suggests that Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents over several years.
Many of these documents contained classified information intended exclusively for internal executive intelligence briefings. Hanning allegedly used this information for private consulting work. In one instance, he used classified intelligence provided by Manfred D. to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service.
The statement did not reveal which country the foreign agent worked for. Authorities noted that it has yet to be determined if the material actually reached the intended recipient. Hanning is believed to have been in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, passing on political information partially based on the material provided by Manfred D.
Connection to custody battle
The current espionage proceedings stem from evidence found during a search of Hanning’s residence. This search was part of a separate investigation into the abduction of children belonging to Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block.
In January 2024, Block’s children were abducted from her ex-husband in Denmark during a long-running custody battle. Hanning and a retired official from the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office are suspected of having accepted a contract from Block in 2022 to abduct the children while serving as executives of a security firm.
The Blocks are a prominent Hamburg family known for their national steakhouse chain, Block House. The custody trial has received significant attention in Germany, with heavy coverage from tabloids. The public prosecutor’s office announced the suspicion of involvement in the abduction in the fall of 2025.
German opposition lawmaker Konstantin von Notz expressed shock at the allegations. A member of the Greens party and part of the parliamentary committee overseeing intelligence services, von Notz called for a swift and thorough investigation.
“This is a hard-hitting and deeply troubling story,” von Notz told Spiegel Online. He highlighted years of criticism regarding the lobbying activities of former top officials with high security clearances. He called for a ban on such officials engaging in private consulting work after leaving office.
A message to the BND for comment was not immediately returned. The federal prosecutor’s office has not released further details on the identity of the foreign intelligence service involved or the full extent of the information exchange.
Source: NPR
