Former German spy chief arrested for espionage

August Hanning, the former head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence service, has been arrested on suspicion of espionage.

The 80-year-old is under investigation for attempted treason and acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed on Tuesday.

A former employee, known only as Manfred D under German privacy laws, was also arrested on suspicion of supplying his former boss with confidential information in return for money after Hanning left the service. 

Hanning led the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) between 1998 and 2005, before becoming a private security adviser. 

Manfred D reportedly continued to work as an office manager for BND chiefs from March 2012 to March 2026, and is said to have provided Hanning with some 2,000 documents. 

Many of these were classified and intended solely for internal use, for example for briefings attended by various senior officials at the Chancellery. 

In one instance, Hanning is alleged to have used the information to produce an analysis for staff at a foreign intelligence service.

Furthermore, he is alleged to have been in close contact with a member of another intelligence service for years and to have supplied the person with information.

The investigation into Hanning was sparked by his involvement in a high-profile trial of German businesswoman Christina Block. 

Prosecutors announced in late 2025 that Hanning and another retired public official were suspected of having accepted a commission from Christina Block in 2022 to abduct her child.

The current proceedings stem from evidence uncovered during a search of Hanning's premises in connection with the Block case.

According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, Hanning and his colleague were arrested in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district of Bavaria and in the Steinfurt district of North Rhine-Westphalia respectively.