Germany arrests former intelligence chief
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German authorities arrested August Hanning, the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), on suspicion of treason and espionage. Investigators allege he obtained classified information from a former aide and passed it to a foreign power, intending to profit from the secrets.
Incredible scandal. First the ex-BvS chief turns out to be a far-rightist and now the ex-BND chief turns out to be a traitor (we already knew that he also was a nativist).
Germany is rotting from the top.
Germany is rotting from the top.
Former German spy chief arrested for treason
Ex-intelligence head August Hanning suspected of selling state secrets to foreign power
www.ft.com
October 6, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Incredible scandal. First the ex-BvS chief turns out to be a far-rightist and now the ex-BND chief turns out to be a traitor (we already knew that he also was a nativist).
Germany is rotting from the top.
Germany is rotting from the top.
Bit of a slow news day in #Germany, eh?
Former German spy chief arrested for espionage and treason
August Hanning is accused of obtaining classified information for a foreign power.
www.bbc.com
October 6, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Bit of a slow news day in #Germany, eh?
by Trita Parsi
It has never happened before that a country's top intelligence officer and head of a national spy agency proved to be a spy for another state.
www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/w...
German Officials Arrest Former Spy Chief on Espionage Charges (Gift Article)
August Hanning is accused of helping foreign governments. His arrest shook the German political world and had roots in a steakhouse-heiress kidnapping plot.
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2026 at 1:29 PM
It has never happened before that a country's top intelligence officer and head of a national spy agency proved to be a spy for another state.
www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/w...
Unangenehm.
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
Ermittler nehmen Ex-BND-Chef Hanning fest
Ermittler haben Ex-BND-Präsident August Hanning festgenommen. Nach Recherchen von WDR, NDR und Süddeutscher Zeitung soll ihm ein Zuträger geheime Dokumente aus dem BND verschafft haben. Landeten die I...
www.tagesschau.de
October 6, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Unangenehm.
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
This is bad. Slow Horses-level bad.
The former boss of Germany's most important intelligence agency, the BND, has been arrested on suspicion of treason.
Verdacht auf Landesverrat gegen Ex-BND-Chef Hanning
October 6, 2026 at 1:23 PM
This is bad. Slow Horses-level bad.
by Tom Griffin
The prosecution press statement mentions two separate foreign intelligence agencies. Hanning's involvement with a bankrupt Latvian bank is one area where there might be a Russian connection. www.spiegel.de/internationa...
October 6, 2026 at 12:48 PM
The prosecution press statement mentions two separate foreign intelligence agencies. Hanning's involvement with a bankrupt Latvian bank is one area where there might be a Russian connection. www.spiegel.de/internationa...
Thousands of top-level intelligence briefings for the chancellor, systematically shared by the chief of staff with Hanning, who passed them on to a foreign power for money, for more than a decade (not Russia, apparently). Discovered by chance, in an unrelated search of his property. Unbelievable.
Former German spy chief arrested for treason
Ex-intelligence head August Hanning suspected of selling state secrets to foreign power
www.ft.com
October 6, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Thousands of top-level intelligence briefings for the chancellor, systematically shared by the chief of staff with Hanning, who passed them on to a foreign power for money, for more than a decade (not Russia, apparently). Discovered by chance, in an unrelated search of his property. Unbelievable.
Wenn du dachtest, der Fall Block wäre schon verrückt gewesen... Was ist denn mit diesen BND-Chefs los?
The former boss of Germany's most important intelligence agency, the BND, has been arrested on suspicion of treason.
Verdacht auf Landesverrat gegen Ex-BND-Chef Hanning
October 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Wenn du dachtest, der Fall Block wäre schon verrückt gewesen... Was ist denn mit diesen BND-Chefs los?
by Tom Griffin
I have updated the subscriber page for former BND chief August Hanning in light of his arrest over allegations over espionage. intelligencehistory.substack.com/p/august-han... Hanning 1998-2005 tenure coincided with the Curveball Affair and the Iraq War.
August Hanning
BND President 1998-2005
intelligencehistory.substack.com
October 6, 2026 at 10:42 AM
I have updated the subscriber page for former BND chief August Hanning in light of his arrest over allegations over espionage. intelligencehistory.substack.com/p/august-han... Hanning 1998-2005 tenure coincided with the Curveball Affair and the Iraq War.
!!!
Former German spy chief arrested for treason as.ft.com/r/ccab9c7c-d...
Former German spy chief arrested for treason
Ex-intelligence head August Hanning suspected of selling state secrets to foreign power
as.ft.com
October 6, 2026 at 11:04 AM
!!!
by Tom Griffin
His private security firm was investigated last year over an alleged kidnapping plot. Several former Israeli intelligence chiefs were drawn into the affair. www.ynetnews.com/article/hkph...
October 6, 2026 at 10:45 AM
His private security firm was investigated last year over an alleged kidnapping plot. Several former Israeli intelligence chiefs were drawn into the affair. www.ynetnews.com/article/hkph...