Former BND chief August Hanning arrested and investigated for espionage and divulging state secrets

Former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) August Hanning has been arrested by German authorities and is under investigation for espionage and the leaking of classified state information, the Bild newspaper reported.

Hanning, who headed the BND from 1998 to 2005, is suspected of espionage, high treason and collaborating with a foreign power.

Investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) detained him early Tuesday at his home in Nordwalde, near Münster.

According to Bild, the former intelligence chief is suspected of purchasing classified data from a former senior BND official, with the intention of reselling it through his consulting activities.

In Bavaria, authorities also arrested another former senior BND official, Manfred D., who had previously headed Hanning’s office and continued to serve until spring 2026.

Manfred D. is expected to appear before the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, while Hanning’s hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.

The two former officials have been implicated in investigations linked to the case of German businesswoman Christina Block. She is on trial, together with other individuals, for the violent abduction of her two children.

During this investigation, evidence was found of data being extracted from the BND. The information in question had been prepared for an “official intelligence briefing” at the German Chancellery.

Authorities are verifying whether Hanning handed the data directly to a foreign state.

After ending his career in public service, Hanning worked as a consultant in security and international business. Bild writes that he had maintained contacts with Russia and China, including state agencies in both countries, and is also suspected of having communication channels close to the Kremlin.

The newspaper reports that Hanning had also faced major financial difficulties for years after part of his pension was seized.

This is believed to have been caused by his membership on the supervisory board of a bank in the Baltic states that collapsed following the actions of an oligarch.

Liability was also sought from the members of the supervisory board, including Hanning, as well as from former NATO Secretary General and former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

It remains unclear whether Hanning’s financial problems are connected to the alleged agreements to sell state secrets. In September 2025, the Hamburg Regional Court searched his property in Westerwald and the offices where he conducted his activities.

Officially, at that time the investigation was linked only to the Christina Block case. However, suspicions had been raised by the deployment of an undercover investigator at a company connected to Hanning.

According to Bild, this development could indicate that an investigation into possible high treason had already begun at that time.

Before taking over as head of the BND, August Hanning had served at West Germany’s Permanent Mission in East Berlin. He remained at the head of the service from 1998 until November 2005.

Hanning was later appointed to a senior position at Germany’s Interior Ministry, where he was responsible for overseeing the security services while Wolfgang Schäuble was minister.