Former German intelligence chief arrested on suspicion of espionage
Germany’s federal prosecutor has detained ex-intelligence chief August Hanning over allegations of espionage and leaking state secrets.
Former German foreign intelligence chief August Hanning was arrested on Tuesday, accused of purchasing classified documents and using them to create an analysis for a foreign intelligence agency, according to federal prosecutors. The identities of the foreign agency and the fate of the analysis remain undisclosed. Prosecutors allege that five years after his departure from BND intelligence service in 2005, Hanning entered into an agreement with a former BND office manager, Manfred D., to acquire confidential intelligence in exchange for payment.
D. was also arrested on Tuesday. Prosecutors claim that D. supplied around 2,000 documents over the years, including information meant exclusively for internal BND use and senior-level chancellery briefings. Hanning allegedly used this information to prepare an analysis for a foreign intelligence officer and shared political insights with a representative of another foreign intelligence service.
The SZ newspaper reports that this case does not involve Russia. Hanning did not comment to Reuters, and the BND and chancellery declined to provide further information. Police conducted arrests and searches in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Berlin on Tuesday, with both suspects set to appear before a judge at the Federal Court of Justice.
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