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4d ago

Former BND Chief Arrested on Treason and Espionage Charges

Allied services have begun damage assessments after prosecutors say roughly 2,000 internal BND files were provided to the ex‑spymaster and used in his private consulting work.

August Hanning, state secretary at the German Interior Ministry and former head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), holds his files before the start of a parliamentary committee of investigation in Berlin, Germany, November 30, 2006. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo
A general view shows the headquarters of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany's foreign intelligence service, after former BND chief August Hanning was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of attempted treason and obtaining state secrets, in Berlin, Germany, October 6, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

Overview

  • Federal prosecutors arrested August Hanning this week on suspicion of treasonous espionage, attempted treason and related offences after an inquiry found he received internal BND material from a former aide.
  • Prosecutors allege Hanning’s long‑time chief of staff, identified as Manfred D., supplied about 2,000 internal digital BND documents between 2010 and June 2022 and that Hanning used some material in paid consulting work.
  • Both Hanning and Manfred D. are in custody while judges oversee the continuing probe and prosecutors review whether classified analyses were provided to foreign intelligence representatives.
  • The files were discovered during searches tied to a separate Hamburg investigation into an alleged child‑abduction scheme, a discovery that led federal prosecutors to take over the case in May 2026.
  • News reporting has linked Hanning to contacts with a former senior Chinese officer and German allies are conducting damage assessments to determine whether partner‑origin information was exposed.