Germany's former foreign intelligence chief, August Hanning, has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and attempted treason, in a case involving the alleged transfer of approximately 2 000 classified intelligence documents by a senior official who worked under successive heads of Germany’s intelligence service.

Hanning, 80, headed Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (known by its German initialism, BND) from 1998 until 2005. His former chief of staff, publicly identified only as Manfred D, has also been arrested. Both men were placed in pretrial detention following court proceedings on Wednesday.

Hanning is a significant figure in Germany’s political and intelligence establishment, with a career spanning governments led by both the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

He worked in the office of Chancellor Helmut Kohl, a CDU leader, and was a close associate of Bernd Schmidbauer, Kohl’s intelligence coordinator. Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF has described Hanning as an influential figure in the intelligence establishment who was regarded as an important operator behind the scenes.

Hanning subsequently headed the BND under SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder before becoming state secretary in the Interior Ministry under Angela Merkel’s government from 2005 to 2009.

Although formally nonpartisan, Hanning maintained strong connections to Germany’s conservative political establishment and became a prominent critic of Merkel’s immigration policies.

During the 2015 European migration crisis, Hanning publicly proposed a 10-point programme calling for Germany to re-establish control over its borders, prevent unauthorised entry, restrict family reunification, and impose stricter obligations on migrants.

His proposals were reported by German newspaper Die Welt in October 2015 and placed him among prominent conservative critics of Merkel’s approach to mass immigration.

Although these positions overlap with those advanced by Germany’s populist right, there is no established evidence that Hanning is a supporter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party or has a direct political association with it. His background is principally that of an influential conservative security official with longstanding connections to the CDU establishment.

According to Reuters, German federal prosecutors allege that Hanning reached an arrangement with Manfred D around 2010, five years after leaving the BND, to obtain confidential intelligence documents.

Manfred D subsequently served as chief of staff to successive BND directors, remaining at the intelligence service until his retirement in March 2026. This position gave him access to highly sensitive intelligence long after Hanning had left the organisation.

Prosecutors allege that approximately 2 000 documents were supplied to Hanning over a period extending to June 2022. Some reportedly contained classified material intended exclusively for internal intelligence use and briefings to the German government.

Associated Press (AP) reports that Hanning allegedly used some of the information in his private consultancy business. German prosecutors have specifically alleged that he used intelligence obtained from Manfred D to prepare an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service.

AFP reports that the documents allegedly included intelligence concerning Iran’s nuclear programme and Russian military activities. Some of the information reportedly originated from foreign intelligence agencies cooperating with Germany, raising the possibility that the alleged breaches compromised intelligence shared by Western allies.

German news magazine Der Spiegel has reported that investigators are examining possible links between Hanning and an Azerbaijani intelligence operative. Reuters and AFP have both reported this allegation, while making clear that prosecutors have not publicly identified Azerbaijan as the country involved.

Azerbaijan has denied involvement, while reporting by AFP indicates that Russia is not believed to be the foreign power involved.

The identity of Hanning’s alleged source inside the BND has also attracted attention because of the unusual way his name appears in the reporting. Reuters, AFP, AP, and German publications identify him as Manfred D, rather than providing his full surname. This follows German privacy and journalistic conventions, under which the surnames of criminal suspects who have not been convicted are frequently withheld. The practice is intended to protect the presumption of innocence and prevent unnecessary reputational harm.

The circumstances in which the alleged intelligence operation was uncovered are particularly unusual.

AP and AFP report that the investigation developed from a separate case involving German businesswoman Christina Block and the alleged abduction of her children from Denmark during a custody dispute.

Hanning had reportedly been involved in matters surrounding that dispute, including contact with an Israeli security company. Investigators examining the case subsequently uncovered evidence that led to the espionage allegations.

There is, however, an alternative interpretation of the case, which raises the possibility that Hanning is a victim of internal German political and intelligence disputes rather than an official who deliberately betrayed his country’s interests.

Under this interpretation, Hanning’s longstanding relationships with Germany’s security establishment did not end when he formally left government service. It is possible that he continued to provide advice and informal assistance to German security officials, drawing on his extensive experience and international contacts. If that was the case, some of his access to sensitive information may have arisen in the course of legitimate advisory work.

The alternative thesis holds that Hanning was not acting out of malicious intent and that any offence may have been limited to retaining classified documents at his home after obtaining them through professional contacts. What investigators regard as evidence of espionage might, under this interpretation, be the improper handling or storage of documents rather than an effort to assist a hostile foreign power.

Hanning’s legal defence has challenged the central allegation of espionage. His lawyer, Leon Kruse, has acknowledged that Hanning possessed confidential documents while denying that he passed information to the detriment of Germany or received payment for doing so.

German broadcaster ZDF has also reported the assessment of intelligence expert Luca Manns, who questioned whether Hanning should be understood as an ideologically motivated spy.

A more contentious element of the alternative interpretation is that Hanning’s arrest may reflect political or institutional rivalries within Germany’s security establishment. Given his conservative political connections, public criticism of Merkel’s immigration policies, and longstanding influence within intelligence circles, the possibility of internal political tensions is a subject for examination.

A source who spoke to The Common Sense said that if this were the case it was troubling for Europe as it meant that the same kind of political score-settling that had happened in parts of America’s security establishment were also playing out in Europe.

The case has generated concern among German lawmakers about the ability of retired senior intelligence officials to maintain relationships with serving officials and potentially obtain classified information.

Germany’s current BND chief, Martin Jäger, has ordered extensive internal investigations following the arrests.