German federal police arrested former intelligence chief August Hanning on Tuesday on suspicion of treasonous espionage and related spying offenses. Prosecutors said the 80-year-old, who led the Federal Intelligence Service known as the BND from 1998 to 2005, is strongly suspected of obtaining state secrets, attempted treason, and acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service.

Authorities also detained a second suspect identified only as Manfred D., a former BND employee who served as Hanning's chief of staff and later worked under his successors until early 2026. Prosecutors accused Manfred D. of supplying Hanning with approximately 2,000 government documents, many classified, in exchange for payment over more than a decade.

The federal prosecutor's office stated that Hanning used some of the material to draft an analysis for one foreign intelligence service and maintained contacts with another. Specific countries involved were not named in the announcement, though reports indicated the case does not involve Russia. Hanning, who later worked as a consultant and sat on corporate boards after leaving government service, was taken into custody at his home near Münster. Manfred D. was arrested in Bavaria.

The arrests stem from an arrangement that prosecutors said began around 2010. Manfred D. allegedly leveraged his ongoing access at the BND to funnel internal briefings and sensitive files to Hanning. Both men are scheduled to appear before a judge in the coming days.

The case has drawn attention to vulnerabilities at Germany's foreign intelligence agency, which has faced prior infiltration concerns. Parliamentary oversight committee chairman Marc Henrichmann stated that Germany will not tolerate the betrayal of secrets. The development adds to ongoing scrutiny of the BND's handling of classified information shared with allies.