August Hanning, previously linked to a high-profile kidnapping case, is accused of buying state secrets from his former aide
Former German intelligence chief August Hanning has been arrested on charges of espionage and treason, the country’s federal prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday.
The 80-year-old former spymaster headed the BND from December 1998 to November 2005 and remained in government until late 2009, when he moved into the private sector. He was previously embroiled in a high-profile kidnapping case in Germany.
Hanning is accused of abusing his relationship with his former chief of staff, an official identified by German authorities as “Manfred D.” The man remained a trusted aide during Hanning’s government career and later served several successive BND chiefs after Hanning left office.
Since 2010, Hanning allegedly bought state secrets from Manfred D. that were useful to him in his work as a security consultant. The alleged arrangement continued until at least June 2022, with nearly 2,000 internal documents intended exclusively for BND leadership, many of them classified, changing hands, prosecutors said.
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