Ex-German spy chief detained amid espionage and treason investigation

August Hanning’s former chief of staff was also arrested on suspicion of ‘aiding and abetting attempted treason’.

Published On 6 Oct 20266 Oct 2026

German prosecutors have arrested the former head of the foreign intelligence service on suspicion of espionage and treason.

August Hanning, aged 80, is being investigated for alleged attempted treason and for acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence agency, the Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor General announced on Tuesday.

Hanning led Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2005.

He was taken into custody in Bad Toelz‑Wolfratshausen in southern Germany. His former chief of staff, identified only as Manfred D, was arrested in Steinfurt in western Germany on suspicion of “aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage”.

The prosecutor’s office said, “On one occasion, Hanning used classified intelligence supplied by Manfred D to prepare a briefing for an officer of a foreign intelligence service.”

Prosecutors added that Manfred D also served as chief of staff to Hanning’s successors between 2012 and 2026, exploiting his position to obtain confidential information which he then passed to Hanning in exchange for payment. Hanning subsequently used that material in his private consulting work.

“The current findings indicate that, over several years, Manfred D provided Hanning with roughly 2,000 documents, many containing classified information intended solely for internal use by the federal intelligence service, especially for executive briefings,” the statement noted.

The statement did not disclose which country the suspected foreign agent represented or for whom the two men were allegedly spying, and noted that it remains undetermined whether the material reached its intended recipient.

German MP Marc Henrichmann told AFP that Germany “will not tolerate the betrayal of secrets.”

Henrichmann, who chairs the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight committee, said, “Anyone who aligns with the enemies of our liberal democracy will be exposed.”

Authorities are searching the premises of both Manfred D and Hanning at multiple locations, including in the capital, Berlin.

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