Germany detains former BND chief in espionage investigation

German authorities detained former Federal Intelligence Service president August Hanning and former BND official Manfred D. on Oct. 6 in an investigation into suspected espionage and the handling of state secrets. Arrests and searches were carried out in Germany, with properties in Bavaria and Berlin among those examined, according to German reports.¹⁸⁹¹⁰

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Documents and payments under scrutiny

Prosecutors suspect that Manfred D. supplied Hanning with about 2,000 documents, many containing classified material, in return for payment. The alleged flow of information continued until at least the middle of 2022. Hanning is accused of drawing on that material in his private consulting activities.¹²⁷⁸

Hanning is also alleged to have maintained contact with a representative of an unidentified foreign intelligence organisation and to have provided political information partly derived from BND material. Investigators say he prepared a security assessment for an employee of a foreign service in at least one instance.¹⁷⁸⁹

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said Hanning was “strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason and espionage”. German reports also said the investigation covered suspected intelligence-agent activity and the acquisition or disclosure of state secrets.²⁷⁹

It remains unclear whether the assessment or other material reached its intended foreign recipient. Authorities have not identified the foreign service or state allegedly involved.¹²¹⁰

A second former official detained

Manfred D., described in reports as a former senior BND employee and Hanning’s former chief of staff, was detained at the same time. He has been accused of assisting attempted treason and treason-related espionage. His former duties gave him access to confidential intelligence, prosecutors said.¹²⁴⁷

Some of the documents allegedly supplied to Hanning were intelligence reports prepared for the German Chancellery, according to individual reports. Other material was said to include information originating with foreign partner services. Those details have not been independently established across the dossier’s sources.⁴⁷

Hanning led the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, from December 1998 until November 2005. One report said Hanning and Manfred D. arranged their alleged cooperation in 2010, years after Hanning left the agency.¹⁶⁸

Origins of the case

The current proceedings grew out of evidence discovered during an earlier search of Hanning’s residence, according to reports. That search was connected to separate proceedings involving Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block and the alleged abduction of her children from their father. The Hamburg State Criminal Police Office searched Hanning’s home and offices in September 2025.²⁷⁸⁹

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office opened a covert investigation in 2026, according to German public broadcaster ARD’s Tagesschau. On Oct. 6, federal investigators detained both suspects and searched associated premises. The two men were scheduled to appear before a Federal Court of Justice judge, who would notify them of the arrest warrants and decide on their continued custody pending trial.⁷⁸⁹

BND president Martin Jäger said the service had started extensive internal inquiries. No response from Hanning to the substance of the allegations was included in the dossier, while one lawyer quoted by Tagesschau described an unspecified allegation as entirely unfounded.⁸⁹