Agents arrested August Hanning (pictured from 2015) at his home on Tuesday

Former BND chief August Hanning was taken into custody on suspicion of espionage, treason, and passing classified information to a foreign power.

Hanning headed Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2005 before moving into private consultancy. Prosecutors say he used BND‑classified intel to draft an analysis for a foreign agency and maintained contact with another foreign spy service. The identities of the foreign powers remain undisclosed.

Police also arrested former BND employee Mandred D for handing Hanning roughly 2,000 documents in exchange for money. Another ex‑official, Manfred D, is charged with aiding and abetting treason by the same act of passing documents to Hanning.

Hanning was seized at his home in Nordwalde near Münster; Manfred D was arrested in Bavaria. The arrested men are due before German courts next week.

Investigators say D used his position as chief of staff to gain access to highly confidential material, which he forwarded to Hanning for remuneration.

A separate case involving German steakhouse heiress Christina Block, who faced kidnapping charges, has also highlighted the alleged possession of sensitive intel by Hanning.

State criminal police found a data storage device containing recent BND documents, prompting the arrest.

Last year, a senior BND officer was convicted of treason for sharing war‑zone intelligence with Russia; that case is still ongoing.

For more details, see the full story on the BBC website.