Germany's ex-spymaster arrested over state secrets sale

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 11 Oct, 06:24 · Archive

August Hanning, who led Germany's foreign intelligence service, has been arrested and charged with selling state secrets.

August Hanning, the former head of Germany's federal foreign intelligence service (BND), has been arrested and charged with treasonous espionage and handing state secrets to a foreign power. The 80-year-old, who led the BND from 1998 to 2005, is accused of illegally purchasing state secrets for over a decade. Federal prosecutors believe Hanning ran his former chief of staff, identified as Manfred D, as a mole within the BND, paying him to extract nearly 2,000 classified documents over 12 years.

Hanning was detained at his home in Nordwalde, his birthplace, and removed by masked commandos. According to experts, his detention marks a first in a Western democracy given his previous rank in the intelligence service. Konstantin von Notz, a member of the Bundestag's parliamentary intelligence supervisory committee, warned that the case could escalate into a "genuine national scandal" with a "devastating" loss of trust among partner countries at a time when Germany faces an "extremely tense security situation".

How it is being reported

• ‘Stab to the heart’: arrest of German ex-spymaster sparks calls for reformClaims that August Hanning exploited intelligence for private clients comes after other troubling espionage scandals The ex-spymaster August Hanning once criticised Germany’s own intelligence services as “vegetarians” among prowling carnivores, demanding broader powers to keep the country safe in a treacherous world. Often described as a “godfather” of Germany’s 21st-century security architecture, Hanning is now charged with treasonous espionage and handing state secrets to a foreign power in one of the most spectacular alleged intelligence breaches of the postwar period. Continue reading...The Guardian · 11 Oct, 06:00
• The fall of Germany’s ex-spymasterAugust Hanning is accused of having illegally purchased state secrets for over a decadeFinancial Times · 11 Oct, 05:00

In this story: August Hanning · Germany · BND · Manfred D · Konstantin von Notz · Bundestag

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