Former Head of German Intelligence Detained on Suspicion of Espionage

The former president of the German Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst) has been detained in Germany on suspicion of espionage, treason, and the disclosure of classified information.

The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office reported this on October 6.

The charges were brought against August Hanning and his former colleague Manfred D.

Officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office carried out the arrests based on warrants issued by an investigating judge at the Federal Court. At the same time, law enforcement officials are searching the suspects’ residences in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Berlin.

According to investigators, Hanning and Manfred D. agreed in the spring of 2010 to pass on classified BND information in exchange for money. At the time, Manfred D. was employed by the agency and had access to confidential data.

Over the years, he passed on about 2,000 documents to Hanning. A significant portion of them contained classified information intended for internal use by the BND.

Among these documents were materials for regular intelligence briefings for the heads of federal agencies and law enforcement agencies at the Federal Chancellery.

Investigators believe that Hanning used the materials he received in his private consulting work. In one instance, he used classified information to prepare an analytical report for an employee of a foreign intelligence service. However, it is currently unknown whether the recipient received this document.

Investigators also determined that Hanning maintained close contact over several years with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, some of which was obtained from materials provided by Manfred D.

The Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) is Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service and the country’s primary foreign intelligence service.

The BND collects and analyzes information outside Germany, particularly regarding military, political, economic, and terrorist threats. The service reports to the German Federal Government and is subject to oversight by Parliament and other government bodies.

August Hanning headed the BND from 1998 to 2005. He subsequently served as State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and later worked in the private sector as a security consultant.

The investigation began after police searched Hanning’s residence in September 2025 as part of another criminal case. During the search, law enforcement officials discovered storage media containing classified BND documents. In May 2026, the investigation was transferred to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which is conducting it jointly with the BND and the Federal Criminal Police Office.

Hanning and Manfred D. are to be brought before an investigating judge at the Federal Court, who will decide whether to remand them in custody.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that a 47-year-old Kazakhstani citizen suspected of spying for Russia had been detained in Germany.