World
Former BND Director Arrested on Espionage and Treason Charges
By Today News Hours Editorial Desk
Former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, was arrested on suspicion of espionage, treason and obtaining classified information for a foreign power, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office said. Hanning led the BND from 1998 to 2005 and has since worked as a private consultant. Prosecutors allege that he used classified intelligence to draft an analysis for one foreign intelligence service and maintained contact with another foreign spying service, although the identities of those foreign powers have not been disclosed.
Police also arrested former BND employee Mandred D, accusing him of passing Hanning about 2,000 classified documents for money. Manfred D, who was Hanning’s bureau chief and remained in the BND until this year, is charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. Local media reported that Hanning was arrested at his home in Nordwalde near Münster while Manfred D was arrested in Bavaria. Hanning is due in court on Wednesday and Manfred D will appear on Tuesday.
According to prosecutors, Mandred D, who also served as chief of staff for Hanning’s successors between 2012 and 2026, used his role to gain access to highly confidential information which he then passed on to Hanning “in exchange for remuneration”. The statement said that, over the years, Manfred D provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many of which contained classified information intended solely for internal BND use. Prosecutors also said that on one occasion Hanning used classified intelligence to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service, though it is unclear whether the material reached the intended recipient.
Hanning is also accused of being in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D, for several years.
Local media say Hanning’s alleged possession of intelligence documents came to light during a separate case involving German steakhouse heiress Christina Block. The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office accused Block of orchestrating the kidnapping of her two youngest children in 2023 over a custody dispute. Investigators allege Hanning was involved in an earlier attempted kidnapping of the children, which he denies. State criminal police officers reportedly discovered an electronic data storage device containing sensitive information, including recent BND documents.
This is not the first time the BND has faced similar controversy. In 2023 a high‑ranking German intelligence officer was charged with treason for allegedly passing state secrets to Russia. Prosecutors alleged that Carsten L shared intelligence about the war in Ukraine and the Wagner mercenary group and received roughly €400,000 ($450,000; £340,000). His trial is ongoing.