Court orders German ex-spy chief kept in jail after spying, treason arrest
A court Wednesday ordered ex-German spy chief August Hanning to remain jailed after his arrest on suspicion of espionage and treason, along with a former deputy who allegedly supplied him with secret files.
Prosecutors say the 80-year-old Hanning, who led Germany's BND foreign spy service from 1998 to 2005, had illegally obtained agency secrets after becoming a private-sector consultant, some of which he may have passed on to foreign spies.
Hanning's former chief of staff, identified by prosecutors only as Manfred D., was arrested at the same time and also ordered by the court on Wednesday to remain jailed during the investigation.
Manfred D., who remained at the agency until March 2026 working for Hanning's successors, is suspected of having sold around 2,000 secret files to his former boss, who used them as part of his consulting work.
Their arrests on Tuesday dealt an embarrassing blow to Germany as the country tries to expand and improve its spy agencies to counter threats from Russia and other adversaries.
Just on Monday, current BND spy chief Martin Jaeger warned German lawmakers that Russia was waging a "shadow war" against the country that includes sabotage and assassination plots in addition to classic espionage.
Hanning was allegedly in "close contact" with a spy from one country, and also used confidential information to prepare a briefing for an agent of another foreign power, although it is unclear whether he actually passed along secrets.
Prosecutors did not name either foreign country allegedly involved, although AFP understands that Russia was not involved.
An Azerbaijani intelligence operative may have been the client for the briefing, according to a report from the Spiegel news magazine, which cited unnamed sources.
German public broadcaster ARD reported that the documents allegedly obtained by Hanning included highly sensitive reports concerning Iran's nuclear program and the Russian military.
- 'Serious allegations' -
Azerbaijan protested to the German government over the report linking Baku to the espionage investigation according to Azerbaijani media, while the country's media regulator rejected the stories as "disinformation".
A German government spokesman on Wednesday would not comment on the reported protest or other aspect of the case when pressed by reporters at a regular briefing in Berlin.
"Serious allegations have been raised, but so far they remain just that -- allegations -- and the task now is to analyze, investigate, and verify which of them are valid," said the spokesman, Sebastian Hille.
"Only then can the extent of the damage be assessed, rather than speculating," Hille said.
Investigators began looking into Hanning after his name surfaced in high-profile criminal case against chain steakhouse heiress Cristina Block, who is on trial for allegedly ordering the kidnapping of her two children during a bitter custody dispute.
Hanning allegedly connected Block with a private security firm run by ex-Israeli intelligence operatives who are accused of carrying out the abductions.
Block allegedly paid Hanning and a retired police officer more than 100,000 euros ($112,000) for their role in the affair.
As part of the Block case, authorities raided Hanning's property in September 2025, reportedly leading to the current espionage and treason investigation.
Source: Agence France Presse
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