Former German spy chief arrested for treason and espionage
The allegations amount to a huge embarrassment for Berlin's foreign intelligence agency.
A former German intelligence chief has been apprehended on suspicion of treason and espionage, according to the German Federal Prosecutors Office. The arrest took place early Tuesday, reported the source. August Hanning, who once headed Germany's foreign intelligence agency, or BND, was the subject of the investigation, stated the federal prosecutors.
An informer allegedly provided Hanning with approximately two thousand documents, many of which were classified, according to a statement issued by the prosecutors. In one instance, Hanning utilized classified information supplied by an informer known as Manfred D. to craft an analysis for an employee of a foreign intelligence service, as per the prosecutors' account.
The prosecutors' office emphasized that Hanning is under "strong suspicion of espionage constituting treason." This development is poised to cause significant embarrassment for Germany's foreign intelligence agency, which Hanning commanded from 1998 to 2005. The case is ongoing.
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