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German authorities on Tuesday arrested August Hanning, who headed the country's Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) foreign intelligence service from 1998 to 2005, on suspicion of espionage and attempted treason, accused of obtaining classified intelligence documents from a former aide and passing information to foreign intelligence services, federal prosecutors said.
Hanning's former chief of staff, identified only as Manfred D. under German privacy rules, was also arrested on suspicion of "aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage," prosecutors said.
Searches were carried out at sites in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin.
The arrest of a former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service comes a day after current BND President Martin Jaeger warned lawmakers that Russia is waging a "shadow war" against Germany.
Reports differ on whether the case involves Russia.
Prosecutors said the two men agreed by spring 2010 at the latest that Manfred D. would continuously obtain internal BND information for Hanning "in exchange for remuneration," Welt reported.
Manfred D. served as Hanning's office chief at the BND and later as chief of staff to several of his successors, giving him access to classified material.
"The current findings suggest that, over the years, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately two thousand documents, many of which contained classified information to be used exclusively by the Federal Intelligence Service for internal purposes," prosecutors said.
The material was intended for the regular intelligence briefing of top officials at the Chancellery.
Prosecutors allege 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 its intended recipient.
Hanning is also accused of being "in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D., for several years," prosecutors said.
Hanning allegedly bought the information to resell it "as part of his consulting activities," Bild reported.
He is suspected of treasonous espionage, spying on state secrets, attempted treason and working as a secret service agent.
Bild and Welt reported that there had been suspicions for years that Hanning might be an informant for Russian intelligence, an allegation he had previously dismissed to Welt as "nonsense."
However, German broadcasters WDR and NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the current investigation does not involve a connection to Russia.
Bild reported that Hanning had worked as a security and business consultant worldwide, with connections in Russia and China.
The investigation was triggered by material found during a September 2025 search linked to the trial of Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block, who is accused of hiring an Israeli security firm to retrieve her children from Denmark in a custody dispute.
Federal prosecutors took over the case in early May 2026 and reportedly tapped Hanning's phones.
Hanning was arrested early Tuesday at his home in Nordwalde, near Munster, while Manfred D. was detained in Bavaria.
Manfred D. was to appear before the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe on Tuesday and Hanning on Wednesday.
After leaving the BND, Hanning served as state secretary at the Interior Ministry.
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