August Hanning, the former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), was taken into custody on Wednesday on suspicion of espionage. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced that a judge from the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe served the arrest warrant against the 80-year-old. Hanning faces charges including intelligence agency activities, treasonous spying, unauthorized exploration of state secrets, and attempted treason.
Hanning’s former chief of staff was also arrested alongside him. He is accused of aiding in the attempted treason and treasonous spying. It is alleged that the two individuals had an agreement wherein the staff member would continuously provide the former BND chief with valuable BND information in exchange for payment. Hanning is reportedly accused of using this information for his consulting work.
Hanning served as the BND president from 1998 to 2005. He subsequently transitioned to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, where he worked as a state secretary, before later taking up a role as a security consultant in the private sector.
