August Hanning, who once led Germany’s foreign intelligence service, is accused of paying a former aide for nearly 2,000 internal documents and using classified information to prepare an analysis for a foreign intelligence service.
August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempted treason and espionage after federal prosecutors accused him of obtaining classified government documents from a former aide and using secret information to prepare an analysis for a foreign intelligence service.
The arrest places a former leader of one of Europe’s most important intelligence agencies at the center of an extraordinary investigation into whether sensitive German intelligence was improperly removed from the government and put at the disposal of foreign officials.
Federal prosecutors said Mr. Hanning, 80, was suspected of treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets, attempted treason and acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service. His former office manager, identified under German privacy rules as Manfred D., was also arrested and is suspected of assisting in some of the alleged offenses.
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