A former chief of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency was taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of sharing classified information with a foreign intelligence service, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. August Hanning, who headed the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, is under investigation for alleged espionage, including spying on state secrets and attempted treason. The 80-year-old Hanning was apprehended in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany, while his former assistant, identified as Manfred D., was arrested in Steinfurt, western Germany, on charges of aiding and abetting treasonous espionage.
The prosecutor’s office revealed that Manfred D. served as Hanning’s chief of staff and later for several BND presidents from 2012 to 2026, giving him access to confidential information. Both suspects allegedly agreed in 2010 for Manfred D. to continuously pass valuable intelligence from the BND to Hanning in exchange for payment. It is estimated that over the years, Manfred D. provided approximately 2,000 documents to Hanning, many containing classified information for the BND’s internal use, especially in executive intelligence briefings.
Hanning utilized the information in his consulting work and once used classified intelligence from Manfred D. to prepare an analysis for a foreign intelligence service officer. The statement did not disclose the country of the foreign agent or confirm if the material reached its intended recipient. Additionally, it was mentioned that Hanning had close ties with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he shared political information based partly on material provided by Manfred D.
The investigation into Hanning was triggered by a separate probe related to the abduction of Christina Block’s children from her ex-husband in Hamburg. Evidence found during a search of Hanning’s home in connection with that case led to the arrests. The federal prosecutor’s office stated that Hanning and a retired official from the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office allegedly accepted a contract from Block in 2022 to abduct her children while working as executives of a security firm.
The Blocks, a well-known Hamburg family famous for their national steakhouse chain Block House, have been at the center of a highly publicized custody trial in Germany, attracting extensive coverage from the media. The BND was not available for immediate comment on the matter.