Ex-German intelligence chief Hanning remains in custody over suspected espionage

A former chief of Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the BND, August Hanning, has been kept in pretrial detention. He was detained on Tuesday on suspicion of espionage and treason.

Hanning is 80 years old. He led the BND from 1998 to 2005 and later worked as a private security adviser.

The second detainee

Hanning's former office manager, identified only as Manfred D., is also being held in pretrial detention. He is suspected of aiding and abetting an attempt at treason, as well as espionage.

Alleged arrangement

Authorities believe the two men agreed around 2010 that Manfred D. would regularly pass valuable information to Hanning in return for payment.

According to prosecutors, Manfred D. served as office manager for Hanning's successors from 2012 to 2026. He allegedly used that post to gain access to classified information, which he then passed on to Hanning. Hanning used the material in his work as a private security consultant.

Authorities believe that, under this arrangement, Hanning may have had access for 12 years to information intended solely for internal BND use.

Analysis for a foreign agency

Prosecutors say that in one instance Hanning used classified information to prepare an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service. It is unclear whether the intended recipient actually received the material.