August Hanning, currently in custody, led Germany’s foreign intelligence service (BND) for seven years and had access to the state’s most closely guarded secrets; the next chapter involved a private consultancy, corporate intelligence, and business activities spanning Europe (including Russia) and Asia, reports Politico.Now, following his arrest by the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office on the 6th of October on suspicion of espionage and treason, the 80-year-old Hanning finds himself at the center of an investigation. Prosecutors suspect he obtained classified intelligence from his former chief of staff and used it in his private business dealings. An EU intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation as a disaster for both Germany and Western intelligence agencies. Everyone is reportedly in shock, and the scale of the incident is immense, particularly given the current climate. The official added that, since the alleged espionage came to light during the investigation of an entirely separate matter, a great deal more information is likely to emerge.The case has arisen at an awkward time for the BND. In early October, German lawmakers began debating a new bill proposed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government that would grant the intelligence service sweeping powers, aiming to restore Berlin to the ranks of the world’s top intelligence agencies. The timing is also significant for European intelligence services more broadly; with Russian hybrid attacks threatening Europe, governments across the bloc are rewriting long-standing security laws to empower their intelligence agencies and ensure they are taken more seriously.Prosecutors stated that the former head of Hanning’s office—identified as Manfred D. in accordance with German privacy regulations—handed over approximately 2,000 BND documents to Hanning between 2010 and 2022. Many of these contained classified information intended solely for internal use by the intelligence service, including materials used to brief high-ranking German officials.Speaking to the newspaper WELT, Hanning’s lawyer stated that while some of the charges brought against the former intelligence chief were true, he had not intended to cause harm to Germany. The lawyer pointed out that Hanning was indeed in possession of classified documents, but the accusation that he had passed on information capable of harming the state was false.In one instance, charges were brought regarding the use of classified documents to prepare an analytical report for a foreign intelligence officer. Prosecutors also believe that Manning maintained a relationship with a representative of another intelligence service for several years and passed on political information that was partly based on documents supplied by Manfred D. Prosecutors have not identified the specific intelligence agencies with which Manning might have been linked, but German media have named Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan has denied involvement.Another anonymous EU official stated that intelligence agencies log every action—specifically, who accesses information and when. If an analyst working on monitoring right-wing extremists suddenly begins viewing intelligence on China, it can raise suspicions. Conversely, high-ranking officials—such as a director’s chief of staff—can access virtually anything without arousing suspicion. Moreover, chiefs of staff typically remain in their posts even when directors change; the only exceptions are cases involving disagreements with the incoming director. The official stated that each intelligence agency would now have to assess the information passed to the BND and the potential damage caused by this.Hanning headed the BND from 1998 to 2005 and subsequently served as State Secretary at the German Interior Ministry until 2009. Upon leaving the government, Hanning turned to the private sector, founding Hanning Consult with his wife in July 2010. In the spring of that same year, Manfred D. agreed—in exchange for payment—to pass intelligence held by the BND to Hanning, who in turn utilized it for his private consulting activities.Roderich Kiesewetter, a German Christian Democrat MP and representative on the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that there is a vast network of individuals in Germany who leverage information and influence gained during their time in public service to shape Berlin’s policy regarding countries such as China and Russia. Kiesewetter told Politico that the situation is not only lamentable but also damages Germany’s reputation; he noted that if someone wishes to engage with Russia, it suffices to enlist former government or intelligence officials.Hanning is also linked to German businessman Samuel Danilowitsch, who headed the Swiss corporate intelligence consultancy Pluteos. Hanning became the chairman of the board at Pluteos and, in 2019, attended a meeting in Moscow with Danilowitsch focused on European-Russian relations. Russian politicians and businesspeople participated in the event, during which the annexation of Crimea was portrayed as a necessity rather than a choice made by Moscow.Around 2014, Hanning joined the British consultancy G3 as a senior advisor. He later oversaw the firm’s operations regarding Russia and former Soviet bloc countries.In 2019, Hanning was invited as a guest of honor to an Arctic Council meeting organized by the Russian Security Council. It was chaired by the former Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, one of the most influential figures in Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s security circle.Hanning has also spoken publicly about some of the politically explosive issues surrounding Russian aggression in Ukraine. In 2024, he told WELT TV that he considered it plausible that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy knew about the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines. A few days later, Hanning went further, stating that a secret agreement between high-ranking Polish and Ukrainian officials lay behind the attack on the pipelines.None of Hanning’s business dealings, contacts, or statements link him to espionage; however, they demonstrate that he continued to expand his influence even after leaving government service. Nor have any charges been brought regarding espionage on behalf of Russia.Investigators discovered the classified documents in Hanning’s possession while probing an unusual guardianship case involving Christina Block, the heiress to a German restaurant empire. The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office charged Block with abducting her two youngest children from their father in Denmark. Block and two men allegedly hired an Israeli security team to snatch the children—then aged 10 and 13—from their father’s custody. According to the charges, masked men beat the children’s father and took the children across the Danish-German border to southern Germany. Four days later, the children were returned to their father by court order. Block denies having known about the abduction.In September 2025, Hamburg investigators searched Hanning’s home and business premises in connection with the Block case. Prosecutors believed that Hanning and a retired police officer had accepted a deal worth 100,000 euros to intercept Block’s children on their way to school in November 2022. The plan failed because the children’s father noticed suspicious individuals and called the police. Following the search, the German media outlet Taggeshau reported that investigators had found approximately 2,000 digital BND documents on Hanning’s properties, triggering an investigation that was taken over by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in May 2026.Manfred D. was Hanning’s chief of staff and subsequently worked with the next BND directors as well, remaining in the position until March 2026. Both men are currently in custody.
From intelligence chief to trafficking secret information: August Hanning
