BREAKING: Germany has arrested former BND chief August Hanning in a major suspected espionage and treason case involving highly classified intelligence on Iran’s nuclear programme and the Russian military. According to investigations by WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Hanning over suspected treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets, attempted treason and intelligence-agent activity. Investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office reportedly arrested Hanning early this morning at his home in Nordwalde near Münster. A second former senior BND employee, identified as Manfred D. was also arrested in Bavaria. D. allegedly supplied Hanning with highly classified BND information for money until at least 2022. Around 2,000 classified documents are reportedly believed to have been passed from D. to Hanning. Many were briefings prepared for the “ND Lage” at the Federal Chancellery, where the heads of Germany’s security agencies exchange intelligence. The documents reportedly included extremely sensitive assessments of Iran’s nuclear programme and Russia’s armed forces, as well as intelligence originating from foreign partner services. Investigators reportedly suspect that Hanning used at least some of the information to prepare a security analysis for a foreign intelligence service. According to WDR, NDR and SZ, the service involved in that case was not Russia. In another case, Hanning is alleged to have used information from classified BND documents in communications with a foreign agent. The case reportedly came to light after Hamburg investigators searched Hanning’s home and offices in September 2025 during a separate investigation connected to the Christina Block kidnapping case. They allegedly discovered an electronic storage device containing highly classified BND material that Hanning should not have possessed. The documents reportedly included material dating as recently as June 2022, years after Hanning had left the BND. The Hamburg LKA subsequently handed the material over to federal authorities, and the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a classified investigation in May 2026. For Germany’s intelligence community, the allegations are extremely serious. The material allegedly included intelligence supplied by foreign partner services. Any unauthorized disclosure of such information could seriously damage trust between the BND and allied intelligence services. The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against Hanning have not been proven in court.