Germany has arrested former foreign intelligence chief August Hanning on suspicion of espionage, treason and obtaining state secrets for a foreign power, in a case that prosecutors say involved the acquisition of thousands of classified documents.
Hanning, 80, who headed Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, was detained on Tuesday in southern Germany. A former BND official identified as Manfred D. was also arrested on suspicion of helping him obtain confidential material.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said Hanning is strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets, attempted treason and espionage. Prosecutors allege that, five years after leaving the BND, Hanning entered into an arrangement with the former agency official to receive confidential intelligence in exchange for payment.
According to prosecutors, Manfred D. supplied Hanning with around 2,000 documents over several years. The material allegedly included classified BND documents intended for internal use and high-level intelligence briefings prepared for Germany’s Chancellery.
Prosecutors further allege that Hanning used classified information provided by his former colleague to prepare an analysis for an officer from a foreign intelligence service. He is also accused of sharing political information with a representative of that service over a period of years.
German authorities have not identified the foreign intelligence service allegedly involved. Reuters reported, citing information from the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, that Russia was not involved in the case.
The investigation reportedly began after authorities discovered an alleged leak involving intelligence reports intended for the Chancellery. Searches were carried out at properties linked to the two suspects as investigators sought further evidence.
The alleged source of the documents held an unusually sensitive position within Germany’s intelligence establishment.
Manfred D. served as Hanning’s chief of staff during his tenure at the BND and later continued working within the agency. From 2012 until March 2026, he reportedly served as chief of staff to several successive BND presidents, giving him prolonged access to sensitive intelligence material.
The arrests have prompted scrutiny of how classified information could allegedly have been accessed and transferred over such an extended period.
BND President Martin Jaeger said the agency launched extensive internal investigations as soon as suspicions emerged. He said there could be “no compromises” over internal security.
Hanning has not publicly responded to the allegations, while Germany’s Chancellery has declined to comment.
The case is particularly sensitive because of Hanning’s former position at the top of Germany’s foreign intelligence apparatus. His tenure at the BND ended in 2005, after which he moved to Germany’s Federal Interior Ministry, where he served as a state secretary until 2009.
The allegations also come amid heightened attention in Germany to the protection of intelligence secrets and the activities of former senior security officials.
Germany has faced a number of major espionage cases throughout its modern history, including the 1970s scandal involving Günter Guillaume, an East German spy who served as an aide to Chancellor Willy Brandt, and later cases involving intelligence officials accused of passing information to foreign powers.
Hanning and Manfred D. were expected to appear before a judge at Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations have not been established in court.
The case nevertheless raises immediate questions for Germany’s intelligence community over the handling of classified information after officials leave government service — and over whether sensitive access can remain a security vulnerability years after an official has left active duty.
