Jornal Do Brasilia - German ex-spy chief arrested for suspected espionage, treason

August Hanning, who ran Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency from 1998 to 2005, is accused of espionage, treason and working for foreign intelligence services, federal prosecutors said.

They did not say which foreign powers were involved. However, AFP understands it was not Russia.

The news magazine Spiegel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hanning had been in contact with an intelligence operative for Azerbaijan.

Hanning's former chief of staff, partially named as Manfred D. who continued working for the spy agency until March 2026, was also arrested.

He is accused of obtaining classified information while working for Hanning's successors and selling them to his former boss, who was working as a private sector consultant.

Hanning then allegedly used the information in his private consulting work, which included preparing a briefing for a foreign spy and passing information to an agent of another foreign intelligence service, prosecutors said.

According to Spiegel's report, the briefing was prepared for the Azerbaijani spy.

Germany would "not tolerate the betrayal of secrets", Marc Henrichmann, chairman of parliament's intelligence oversight committee, said in a statement to AFP.

"Whoever allies themselves with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be found out," he said, adding that Hanning's alleged behaviour would represent "trampling his official duties underfoot".

Treason can be punished with a maximum penalty of life in prison in Germany.

The scandal comes after the government last month signed off on a major overhaul of intelligence agencies with broader powers for covert operations.

The BND and the BfV domestic spy service have had more limited powers than foreign counterparts, but authorities are seeking to strengthen them to face growing threats, especially from Russia.

The reforms are expected to be passed by parliament early next year.

The current head of the BND Martin Jaeger said the agency had "quickly carried out extensive internal investigations" into Hanning before federal prosecutors took over.

"For the BND and for me, there are no compromises when it comes to internal security," Jaeger told the Rheinische Post newspaper, adding that the incident had "not called into question any of my aims or any of my priorities".

- 'Grave, deeply disturbing' -

According to prosecutors, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many with classified information.

Hanning -- who served as the top civil servant in the interior ministry from 2005-2009 -- used classified intelligence "to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service", although it is not clear if "the material reached the intended recipient".

He is also accused of being "in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D., for several years".

According to the ARD broadcaster, the information that Manfred D. passed on included material on the Iranian nuclear programme and the Russian army.

It quoted security sources as saying some of the information came from partner intelligence agencies abroad.

Konstantin von Notz, an opposition Greens party lawmaker, told AFP the allegations were "grave and deeply disturbing", and called for a investigation into the "potential damage".

The MP, who also sits on the intelligence committee, said he had repeatedly criticised the "dubious and wide-ranging lobbying activities of former senior civil servants".

"They are quite obviously also an entry point for hostile intelligence services," he said.

The allegations came to light through Hanning's involvement in the case of Christina Block, a steakhouse chain heiress on trial for ordering the kidnapping of her two children.

In that case Hanning and a retired police officer were accused of accepting a commission from Block of more than 100,000 euros ($112,000) in exchange for returning the children from Denmark, where they were living with Block's ex-husband.

Hanning's property was searched in September 2025, leading to the current probe.

O. Henrique--JDB