Former German spy chief arrested for espionage and treason
Prosecutors say August Hanning bought secret information from a former BND employee and may have tried to pass it to a foreign power.
- On Tuesday, German federal prosecutors arrested former Federal Intelligence Service president August Hanning and an aide identified as Manfred in Bad Toelz-Wolfratshausen on suspicion of espionage, treason, and obtaining classified information.
- Prosecutors allege Hanning bought secret BND intelligence reports intended for the German Chancellery to leverage for his private consulting activities, following discovery of an alleged leak of sensitive materials.
- Hanning served as president of the Federal Intelligence Service from Dec. 1998 to Nov. 2005, a tenure marked by significant restructuring within Germany's intelligence apparatus.
- Authorities have not publicly disclosed which foreign country or service may be involved, while the BND and Germany's federal prosecutor did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
- Further details are expected as the investigation develops, with the case demonstrating a potential security breach within Germany's intelligence oversight at the highest levels.
364 Articles
364 Articles
Germany's ex-intelligence boss is accused of selling out the state he once served. Federal prosecutors say August Hanning, 80, who ran Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of "treatoonous spying" and related offenses tied to his work as a private consultant. Authorities...
If the intelligence chief is found guilty, the espionage case would be one of the largest in German history, according to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The former head of the German intelligence services, August Hanning, was arrested because he suspected espionage of state secrets, betrayal and espionage in favor of a foreign power. Hanning, who...
Former head of the BND intelligence service, August Hanning, has been arrested on suspicion of betraying state secrets.
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