What prosecutors say Germany's former spy chief did
Germany's former spy chief, August Hanning, 80, is being held in jail on treason and spying charges. Prosecutors say an old aide gave him about 2,000 secret files over 12 years for pay. They have not named the foreign spy services involved, but Der Spiegel reports a link to Azerbaijan.
Germany is facing one of the biggest security breaches in its history. August Hanning, who led the Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, from 1998 to 2005, was ordered held in pretrial detention after a judge issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday, AP reported.
Hanning, 80, is "strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason, and espionage," federal prosecutors said. He was arrested Tuesday at his home in Nordwalde, near Münster. A former aide, named only as Manfred D. under German privacy rules, was arrested the same day in Bad Tölz in Bavaria. He is also in custody, accused of helping Hanning.
Here is what prosecutors allege. In 2010, five years after Hanning left the BND, the two men made a deal. Manfred D. would keep passing Hanning secret intelligence in exchange for money. Manfred D. later served as chief of staff to several BND presidents, from 2012 until this year. Over about 12 years, he is said to have handed over some 2,000 documents.
Prosecutors say Hanning used the material in his private consulting work. "In one instance, there is suspicion that Mr. Hanning used classified information to prepare an analysis for an employee of a foreign intelligence service," prosecutors' spokesperson Ines Peterson told German media, according to Euronews. In another case, she said, he passed on information to someone from a second spy service.
Officials have not said which countries were involved. Der Spiegel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hanning was in contact with a representative of Azerbaijan's intelligence service, Al Jazeera reported. In 2025, prosecutors accused Hanning of ties to Israeli spies in a separate case that led them to the wider probe.
After leaving the BND, Hanning worked at the Interior Ministry and served as a state secretary until 2009. He then became a private consultant. Treason can bring life in prison in Germany.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government says it is taking the case "extremely seriously" and backing investigators fully, a spokesperson said.
What we know: Both men are in custody and accused of passing secrets for years.
What we don't: Which foreign spy services received the information.
Where outlets agree AP and Euronews both report that prosecutors have not named the foreign intelligence services Hanning and his former aide allegedly helped.
Where they differ Prosecutors have named no country, while Der Spiegel, citing unnamed sources, reports a contact with Azerbaijan's intelligence service.