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.
I've long been saying it's a huge advantage for us that barely anyone abroad speaks German. If even half of Deutschland's insanity escaped German/Swiss/Austrian containment, all our remaining soft power would vanish in an instant
Absolutely insane story about the arrest of August Hanning, former head of German intelligence agency BND
Added gimmick is that investigators only found out because Hanning is accused of involvement in another absolutely insane story of a German millionaire trying to abduct her own children
Added gimmick is that investigators only found out because Hanning is accused of involvement in another absolutely insane story of a German millionaire trying to abduct her own children
The accusations are pretty crazy. According to media reports, the former spy chief paid his former chief of staff (who stayed at the BND until this year) to receive classified information after he left the agency. That's already a big problem, but it gets worse.
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
October 6, 2026 at 1:58 PM
I've long been saying it's a huge advantage for us that barely anyone abroad speaks German. If even half of Deutschland's insanity escaped German/Swiss/Austrian containment, all our remaining soft power would vanish in an instant
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...
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.
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 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...
tbh what I took away from the Block case was his frankly hair-raising combination of desperation and terrible judgment.
October 6, 2026 at 11:57 AM
tbh what I took away from the Block case was his frankly hair-raising combination of desperation and terrible judgment.
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.
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...
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.
!!!
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
!!!
Reposted by Iikka Korhonen
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 11:02 AM
Former German spy chief arrested for treason as.ft.com/r/ccab9c7c-d...
by Tom Griffin
If this case is linked to Hanning's publicly-known revolving door connections, it underlines that there is often a security case for transparency reforms.
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 10:50 AM
If this case is linked to Hanning's publicly-known revolving door connections, it underlines that there is often a security case for transparency reforms.