"Exploited State Secrets for Profit": German Intelligence Rocked by Espionage Arrest of Former Chief
The arrest of ex-BND chief August Hanning has sent shockwaves through the intelligence world. Yet Hanning’s dubious consulting work was no secret. Does German intelligence have a systemic problem?
At 8:58 a.m. on Tuesday morning, masked police officers escorted August Hanning, the former president of Germany's foreign intelligence service, out of his brick home. Clad in a white shirt under a black jacket and his white hair combed to the side, Hanning, 80, was taken to a waiting black minibus for transport to the investigating judge in Karlsruhe.
The raid in Nordwalde, near Münster, sent shockwaves through Germany's security apparatus. Hanning, who held influential positions in the Federal Chancellery, the Interior Ministry, and the BND, was one of the most powerful men in Germany's intelligence community. The allegations against him and an alleged accomplice are unique in scope.
They raise questions about the international credibility of Germany's foreign intelligence service and the conduct of senior officials who, as well-compensated retirees, allegedly turned their contacts and insider knowledge into extra income, or in Hanning's case, potentially exploited state secrets for profit. Hanning denies these charges.
Written by urgent.news from Der Spiegel Intl's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
