Former BND Chief Arrested in Espionage Investigation

German prosecutors said Tuesday they arrested former Federal Intelligence Service chief August Hanning and a former aide on suspicion of espionage-related offenses, alleging the aide supplied Hanning with classified intelligence over several years. Prosecutors said the investigation has not established whether material Hanning used in an analysis for a foreign intelligence officer reached its intended recipient. Hanning, 80, led the BND from December 1998 to November 2005. The second suspect, identified as Manfred D., served as Hanning’s chief of staff and later held the same position for several BND presidents, from March 2012 to March 2026, according to prosecutors. They said he had access to confidential information in that role. In the prosecutors’ account, the men agreed in spring 2010 that Manfred D. would provide BND intelligence to Hanning in exchange for payment. Investigators’ current findings indicate that about 2,000 documents were supplied over the years, many containing classified information intended for internal BND use, including executive intelligence briefings. Prosecutors allege that Hanning used the material in his private consulting work.