August Hanning, the former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has been arrested on suspicion of espionage and treason. Hanning, who led the agency from 1998 to 2005, is accused of spying for a foreign power and compromising state secrets.
The Federal Prosecutor General alleges Hanning purchased secret information from a former BND management staff member in exchange for payment. Investigators believe he intended to resell the sensitive data as part of his private professional consulting work.
Authorities identified the two suspects through findings in the Block trial, which confirmed confidential data leaks. The affected documents were originally intended for the Nachrichtendienstliche Lage, the intelligence situation report in the Chancellery.