German federal prosecutors announced Tuesday the arrest of August Hanning, who headed the country's foreign intelligence service from 1998 to 2005, on charges of espionage, disclosure of state secrets, attempted treason, and acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service.
A second suspect was arrested in connection with the case, which German officials and analysts are describing as the most serious espionage scandal in the country in a century.
The second suspect, identified as Manfred D., served as Hanning's chief of staff at the BND intelligence agency and later at the Interior Ministry, continuing in that role under subsequent agency heads until March 2026.
According to the investigation, the two men agreed to cooperate in 2010. Over the years, Manfred D. passed approximately 2,000 documents to Hanning, many of them classified and intended for internal use by the intelligence service only, in exchange for payment.
Prosecutors said Hanning used the information he obtained for his work as a private consultant, and maintained close contact with a representative of a foreign intelligence service to whom he passed political information.
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the parliamentary intelligence oversight committee, responded to the arrests: "Germany will not tolerate betrayal of secrets. Those who ally themselves with enemies of our liberal democracy will be exposed."
Raids and searches were conducted at the suspects' properties and in Berlin. Hanning was arrested at his home in Nordwalda, and Manfred D. was arrested in Bavaria. After leaving the BND in 2005, Hanning served as deputy minister in the German Interior Ministry until 2009.
