August Hanning has been arrested on suspicion of attempted treason and working as an agent for a foreign intelligence service, German federal prosecutors said on Tuesday, October 6. Hanning, 80, led Germany’s foreign intelligence agency for seven years, making the allegations rather more awkward than the average classified-information case.
The Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor General said officers detained Hanning in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, southern Germany. Authorities also arrested his former chief of staff, identified only as Manfred D, in Steinfurt in the west of the country.
Manfred D is suspected of aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. Investigators were searching properties linked to both men in several locations, including Berlin.
What are prosecutors accusing August Hanning of doing?
Hanning served as president of the Federal Intelligence Service, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, from 1998 until 2005. Prosecutors allege that he later received confidential material from Manfred D and used it in his private consulting work.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Hanning once used classified intelligence supplied by Manfred D to prepare an analysis for an officer from a foreign intelligence service.
The statement did not identify the intelligence service or say which country the officer represented. Prosecutors also stressed that investigators have not yet established whether the material reached its intended recipient.
That leaves a substantial question at the centre of the case: officials say classified information was prepared for a foreign intelligence contact, but they have not said who that contact served or whether the handover succeeded.
How did Manfred D allegedly obtain the documents?
Prosecutors said Manfred D continued working as chief of staff for Hanning’s successors between 2012 and 2026. That position allegedly gave him access to confidential intelligence, which he then supplied to Hanning in return for payment.
Investigators believe the arrangement lasted for years and involved about 2,000 documents. Many allegedly contained classified information intended solely for internal use by the Federal Intelligence Service.
The material reportedly included documents prepared for executive intelligence briefings, among the more sensitive products available inside the agency. Prosecutors said Hanning used the information for his consultancy activities, while Manfred D received “remuneration” for providing it.
The claims remain allegations, and neither man’s response was included in the prosecutor’s statement.
How has Germany responded to the arrests?
Marc Henrichmann, a member of the German parliament who chairs its intelligence oversight committee, told Agence France-Presse that Germany “will not tolerate the betrayal of secrets”.
“Whoever allies themselves with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be found out,” Henrichmann said.
Authorities have not disclosed whether further arrests are expected or whether the investigation extends beyond the two men. For now, prosecutors are examining the seized material and trying to determine where the intelligence was intended to go.
The case places a former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service under investigation for allegedly passing secret information toward another country’s intelligence apparatus. Even by the discreet standards of espionage investigations, that is not a minor personnel issue.
