German spy chief arrested for treason
German spy chief arrested for treason Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 10/06/2026 - 18:50 August Hanning, who ran Germany's foreign intelligence service, had extensive links to Israeli intelligence Then-German Interior Secretary of State August Hanning attends a press briefing in Rabat, Morocco, on 3 July 2007 (Abdelhak Senna/AFP) Off Germany’s former spy chief was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion…
Former German spy chief August Hanning was arrested for treason on Tuesday, accused of passing sensitive information to foreign powers, according to federal prosecutors. The 80-year-old had led Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency from 1998 to 2005. Hanning is alleged to have had extensive links to Israeli intelligence and was investigating for his role in a high-profile child custody case involving Christina Block.
In 2024, Hanning approached a former Shin Bet security service chief about kidnapping Block's two children from her ex-husband in Denmark. Hanning and a retired police officer were also accused of accepting a commission of over $112,000 in exchange for the kidnapping. Hanning's arrest has raised questions about who he passed intelligence to and the integrity of Germany's intelligence services.
Written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
