Overview
- Federal investigators arrested August Hanning and his former chief of staff and the probe moved into pre‑trial detention when a BGH investigative judge executed a detention order for Hanning on Wednesday.
- The Bundesanwaltschaft accuses Hanning of secret‑agent activity, attempted high treason and related offences tied to the purchase and use of sensitive BND material for his consulting work.
- Prosecutors say Manfred D. supplied nearly 2,000 internal BND documents to Hanning over a period that investigators trace from about 2010 until June 2022 and that Manfred D. is held on charges of aiding those acts.
- The investigation began after items seized in searches in the separate Christina Block inquiry in September 2025 led prosecutors to refer the matter to the Federal Prosecutor in May 2026, and raids have taken place in NRW, Bavaria and Berlin.
- The case has triggered political pressure for tougher cooling‑off rules and bans on post‑service consultancy for senior intelligence officials, and investigators are examining whether material reached foreign recipients amid disputed media reports about Azerbaijan while Hanning’s lawyer says possession is admitted but harmful disclosure is denied.