According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), on October 6 local time, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office announced that August Hanning, former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), was arrested. He is accused of espionage, treason, and obtaining confidential information for foreign forces.
The 80-year-old Hanning served as the head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2005. Since then, he has worked as a private consultant. German prosecutors accuse him of using classified information to prepare analytical reports for foreign intelligence agencies and maintaining contact with other foreign intelligence organizations. Investigators have not revealed which specific countries are involved in the case.
Photo: August Hanning, former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service, AP
German police also arrested Mandred D., a former employee of the German Federal Intelligence Service, accusing him of providing about 2,000 confidential documents to Hanning in exchange for money. Mandred D. was Hanning’s assistant. After Hanning resigned as head of the agency, he continued to work at the Federal Intelligence Service. He is accused of attempting to assist and incite treason, as well as espionage activities.
German prosecutors claim that from 2012 to 2026, Mendred D worked as Hannings successor. He used his position to obtain "highly confidential information," and then passed this information to Hannings in exchange for payment. Many of the documents contained confidential information, which was intended for use only within the Federal Intelligence Agency.
German media reports that Hanning was arrested in his home in Nördwald, western Germany, while Mandred D. was arrested in Bavaria.
The European edition of ‘Politicians News Network’ pointed out that since Hanning was the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, this case represents a ‘great shame’ for Germany’s foreign intelligence agency. The timing of this revelation is also extremely awkward, as German Chancellor Merz is seeking to give the Federal Intelligence Service more power to counter Russia, which would allow the agency to carry out espionage activities more actively.
The German Federal Intelligence Service has been repeatedly exposed to infiltration, and this has even led some Western intelligence agencies to refuse to share key information with it. In 2022, the German government arrested the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service, Karsten L., on charges of spying for Russia. However, he denied these accusations, and the case is still under investigation.
