Overview
- Hamburg prosecutors have indications suggesting August Hanning’s involvement in a failed attempt to seize the children, according to Welt am Sonntag’s account of case files.
- Consultancy System 360 is reported to have drafted a plan for six men to intercept the children on a Danish school route, which collapsed in November 2022 when Danish police briefly detained the Germans.
- The reported investigative record exceeds 900 pages and includes wiretaps, analysis reports, and diary notes, with SPIEGEL adding that a court approved phone monitoring of Hanning and Thorsten Mehles in April 2025, followed by surveillance and searches.
- Authorities are also investigating Mehles, Hanning’s managing director and a former Hamburg criminal director, while Hanning’s lawyer rejects the allegations and both men maintain their innocence.
- The files reportedly state Hanning and Mehles had no role in the New Year’s 2024 abduction, as Christina Block stands trial in Hamburg on charges she commissioned it and Hanning has been excused as a witness after invoking his right to refuse testimony.