Ex-aide allegedly provided Hanning roughly 2,000 documents, many classified
Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that August Hanning, who led the country’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from December 1998 to November 2005, was arrested on allegations of treasonous espionage and related offenses. A former aide, identified only as Manfred D, was also taken into custody.
Hanning was detained in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany, the prosecutor’s office said. Manfred D was arrested in Steinfurt in western Germany and is charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. The premises of both men were searched on Tuesday.
The prosecutor’s office did not reveal who the men were suspected of spying for. According to the statement, prosecutors believe the two agreed in the spring of 2010 that Manfred D would continuously transmit valuable intelligence from the BND to Hanning “in exchange for remuneration.”
Manfred D had worked as Hanning’s chief of staff at the BND. After Hanning’s tenure, he became chief of staff for several subsequent BND presidents, serving from March 2012 until March 2026, according to the prosecutor’s office. “In his role, he had access to confidential information,” the statement said.
“The current findings suggest that, over the years, Manfred D provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many of which contained classified information to be used exclusively by the federal intelligence service for internal purposes, particularly for executive intelligence briefings,” the statement alleged.
Prosecutors said Hanning used the information in his private consulting work. On one occasion, the statement alleged, Hanning used classified intelligence provided by Manfred D “to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service.” The office did not say which country the foreign agent worked for, adding: “It has yet to be determined if the material reached the intended recipient.”