Germany arrests former BND chief August Hanning in major espionage case
German authorities have arrested August Hanning, the former head of the BND foreign intelligence service who led the agency from 1998 to 2005, on charges of treason and espionage. A former senior BND employee, Manfred D., was also detained for allegedly supplying Hanning with hundreds of classified documents in exchange for payment after Hanning left office. Prosecutors have not disclosed which foreign intelligence service Hanning is suspected of working for.
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German police arrested 80-year-old August Hanning at his home near Münster on suspicion of treason, espionage and disclosure of state secrets. Hanning led the BND from December 1998 to November 2005 and subsequently served as state secretary in the Federal Interior Ministry until 2009, making this case exceptionally sensitive given his position at the highest levels of Germany's intelligence establishment. The specific foreign intelligence service that Hanning is suspected of working for has not been disclosed by prosecutors.
Authorities also arrested Manfred D., a former senior BND employee who served as Hanning's chief of staff during his tenure as spy chief. Manfred D. is accused of supplying Hanning with hundreds of classified documents following Hanning's departure from the agency, allegedly in exchange for payment. Police conducted searches at properties belonging to both men as well as additional locations in Berlin.
The arrest has been characterised as Germany's biggest espionage scandal of the century. The case has provoked considerable shock within Berlin's security and political establishment, raising significant questions about how vulnerable Germany's most sensitive institutions may be to foreign infiltration, particularly at the highest levels of government and intelligence services.
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