Former Head of German Foreign Intelligence Arrested on Espionage Charges

Al-Taj News – German authorities arrested on Tuesday the former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, on suspicion of espionage, leaking state secrets, and working for a foreign power, according to the German newspaper “Bild.”

The newspaper said that investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office arrested Hanning at dawn at his home in the city of Nordwalde near Münster, while authorities in the state of Bavaria arrested a former senior official in the agency, identified as Manfred D. He had previously served as Hanning’s office director and continued working for the agency until spring 2026.