Former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, has been arrested on suspicion of espionage after allegedly obtaining more than 2,000 internal documents, many of them classified or highly secret, and later passing information to private clients, according to German media reports.
Hanning, 80, is suspected of exploiting a long-standing relationship with Manfred D., a former BND office manager, to obtain sensitive files over a period of 12 years. According to federal prosecutors, the cooperation enabled Hanning to use classified information relating to Germany’s foreign intelligence apparatus.
Der Spiegel reported that the alleged clients were Azerbaijani intelligence services.
Hanning was arrested on Tuesday in what German investigators reportedly consider one of the country’s most serious national security breaches since the end of the Cold War.
According to investigators, the first contacts between Hanning and Manfred D. date back to spring 2010, when Manfred D. allegedly promised to provide Hanning with a continuous flow of information from inside the BND in exchange for money.
Manfred D. was reportedly particularly well positioned to access sensitive information. He had served for many years, including until his retirement in March 2026, as an ex-officio representative for several BND presidents.
The position allegedly gave him extensive access to classified documents, particularly intelligence assessments concerning the so-called “intelligence situation” that were intended for submission to the Federal Chancellery.
Federal prosecutors accuse Manfred D. of aiding and abetting an attempted act of treason and espionage on behalf of a foreign power.
The investigation centers on allegations that sensitive intelligence obtained from within Germany’s foreign intelligence service was subsequently transferred to external parties. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the full scope of the information allegedly passed on or the extent of any damage to German national security.
