Ex-German Intelligence Chief Arrested in Biggest Spy Case Since Cold War

A former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), has been arrested on espionage charges after allegedly obtaining some 2,000 classified documents following his departure from office and using them to prepare analyses for a foreign intelligence service. The case is regarded as one of the largest spy scandals in Germany since the Cold War.

German federal prosecutors said they had arrested August Hanning, 80, the former BND president, according to DW, Reuters and CNN on the 6th. Prosecutors plan to charge Hanning with espionage, disclosure of state secrets, attempted treason and working as an agent for a foreign intelligence service.

Hanning served as BND president for seven years from 1998 to 2005, then moved to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, where he worked as a state secretary until November 2009. He is accused of agreeing in 2010, in collusion with Manfred D., a former head of the BND president's office, to receive classified intelligence material in exchange for payment. Prosecutors believe Hanning sought to sell the classified material as part of a paid consulting business. Manfred D., his alleged accomplice, was also arrested the same day.

Only the first name and the initial of the surname of Manfred D. have been released, in line with German privacy law. Manfred D. served as chief of staff while Hanning was president and later spent an extended period as head of the office of subsequent BND presidents. Prosecutors said Manfred D. had access to classified intelligence by virtue of his position.

"The findings of this investigation show that Manfred D. provided Hanning with about 2,000 documents over a period of years," prosecutors said, adding that "a considerable number of them contained classified intelligence that the BND intended to use only for internal purposes, in particular for briefing senior officials."

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that investigators are examining a possible link between Hanning and Azerbaijan, on the grounds that he had contact with an Azerbaijani agent. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the leaked material also included documents on Iran's nuclear program and the Russian military, as well as sensitive intelligence classified as secret by allied intelligence services in other countries.

Roderich Kiesewetter, a conservative lawmaker and security specialist, told the German business daily Handelsblatt on the same day that the case could strain relations between Germany and its intelligence allies. "It places a heavy burden on trust and does particular damage to Germany," Kiesewetter said.

BND President Martin Jäger said he had launched a wide-ranging internal investigation after the allegations surfaced, stressing that there can be no compromise on internal security.