The case against the former head of German Intelligence, August Hanning, is seriously sketchy.
Hanning, 80, was arrested in Bad Toelz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany. His former Chief of Staff, Manfred D., was also arrested Tuesday in Steinfurt in western Germany and has been charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.
Police were investigating Hanning in 2025 in relation to his involvement in organizing a kidnapping plot. When police searched his residence, they found documents outlining his activity in receiving state secrets from inside German intelligence and selling classified analysis to a foreign government (not Russia).
Apparently when Hanning left as head of German intelligence, his chief of staff “Manfred” remained at work. Manfred then continued to give Hanning information from inside German intelligence, which Hanning then used to sell his services to foreign enterprises.
The information Manfred gave Hanning related to intelligence on Russia and Iran that Germany gathered from partnerships with the USA and Israel. In essence, Hanning was selling 5-eyes secret intelligence on Russia and Iran, to foreign interests. Hanning was receiving the intelligence from Manfred, his former chief of staff.
GERMANY – A former German spy chief was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of espionage and treason, an embarrassing case at a time when the country is seeking to broaden the powers of its intelligence agencies.
August Hanning, who ran Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency from 1998 to 2005, is accused of espionage, treason and working for foreign intelligence services, federal prosecutors said.
They did not say which foreign powers were involved. However, AFP understands it was not Russia.
The news magazine Spiegel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hanning had been in contact with an intelligence operative for Azerbaijan.
Hanning’s former chief of staff, partially named as Manfred D. who continued working for the spy agency until March 2026, was also arrested.
He is accused of obtaining classified information while working for Hanning’s successors and selling them to his former boss, who was working as a private sector consultant.
Hanning then allegedly used the information in his private consulting work, which included preparing a briefing for a foreign spy and passing information to an agent of another foreign intelligence service, prosecutors said.
[…] According to prosecutors, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately 2,000 documents, many with classified information.
Hanning — who served as the top civil servant in the interior ministry from 2005-2009 — used classified intelligence “to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service”, although it is not clear if “the material reached the intended recipient”.
He is also accused of being “in close contact with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed on political information, partially based on material provided by Manfred D., for several years”.
According to the ARD broadcaster, the information that Manfred D. passed on included material on the Iranian nuclear programme and the Russian army.
It quoted security sources as saying some of the information came from partner intelligence agencies abroad. (read more)
These are the German intelligence units currently selling the Russian “hybrid attack” stories.
These are the German intelligence units who previously created the Russian interference narrative used to annul the Romanian election victory of Călin Georgescu, a nationalist who campaigned against the European Union.
This is the conduct of “German Intelligence.”
Comrade Suspicious Cat remains, well, increasingly suspicious.
100% BS as noted.
Cui bono? Is he attached to someone in AfD somehow?
😒
When they caught Hanning’s chief of staff…
That Manfred man…
He claimed he was ‘Blinded by the light!’ 🙂
Another runner in the night.
Here is a link to the lyrics…
https://genius.com/Manfred-manns-earth-band-blinded-by-the-light-lyrics
Did wa diddi….
I wish our DOJ could arrest our current and former high level gov’t gangsters.
IKR
You’re pretty bold with using a plural. Let’s start with baby steps and see if they can get one gangster.
Hope is permitted.
and try them for treason and seditious conspiracy – there, I finished it for you! 🙂
They are preparing to execute the Ft. Hood Muslim murderer by firing squad, we can hope that portends things to come for the high level treasonous traitors in government.
So far, its still just talk. I’ll believe it when I see it.
I believe every monster who does not choose to take the cowards way out, will be held accountable.
NO WAY to do so with or current Judiciary Branch of Government. Nearly every one of those scoundrels would get off with nary a blemish.
They must be tried in Military Courts, and when found Guilty, Justice MUST come swift and hard!
Could be they’re breaking a sweat if there was collusion…
I’m increasingly suspicious too but the government officials aren’t in Germany.
Quite a nice touch that….
A Russian blue moggie 😎
He’s so good looking!
😻
I noticed that too sis!!
Sundance doesn’t miss a thing!
🤗😼
No he does not.
This is the retirement plan for just about every single CIA and FBI employee.
Anti-AfD battle space prep.
So Hanning and his inside man Manfred worked together to leak intelligence. Manfred provided the intel and Hanning picked up the money, to split it with Manfred. Hanning left in 2005, so this has probably been going on for 20 years.
Why the arrests now? Have Hanning/Manfred outlived their usefulness? Do they want too much money to keep quiet? Something’s hinky.
They must have missed a couple of kickback payments.
Someone leaked …
This is so vague and so easily media-manipulatable that I’m not sure I’ll end up believing anything about it.
Here’s all we really know: Two former German government officials were arrested by the current German government.
Yeah, this is a battle of who do you trust the least: the current german government, current and former german spies who may or may not have leaked stuff to foreign governments, or current german spies who leaked info – true or not we don’t know – to german media about alleged former spies who leaked stuff to foreign governments. And of course, no doubt the german media put their own spin on whatever was leaked to them about what did or did not happen here.
It’s lies all the way down, I’m afraid.
Hanning is 80 years old, he could have been turned by the Russians decades ago, prior to German reunification. Hell, Puten may even have been this guy’s handler, back in the day, when he worked East Germany. Azerbaijan may simply be acting as a cutout for Russian intel.
But, there is no telling what the hell is going on, without more details and, what few details we get, may simply be a cover story.
Or this is BND closing a loop on whoever they were using to leak 5-Eyes intel to Ukraine to be used *against* Russia, before AfD takes over and figures it out. 80 year old takes the fall and his kids get a payout when he dies.
Russia, Russia, Russia. We have seen that movie plot before.
Especially when it’s really China China China.
And just as this handy dandy arrangement is coming to an end we have Carney signing up new blood with Canada and our ‘special membership’ with EU all set to continue the 5 eye leaks!!
Hmmm, was he communicating with muzz Valerie Jared?… was there a Mrs Clooney at the table? /s
If God lets me live to 80, then I hope it’s so I can enjoy years of leisure, peace, and happiness. I wonder who he was selling to, that it seemed so much more worthwhile than enjoying retirement.
The link below is to his wiki Bio.
He is not friend of the current EU nor German Governments and he had some unsavory associations in the past. The kidnapping is related to the US Rendition Kidnapping of a Turkish Citizen during the Bush Years.
It was his INTEL assessment that helped create the WMD’s in Iraq assessment by the Bush Administration.
He also served as the President for the German Ministry of the Interior and he even published a 10 point plan to handle (stop and reverse) the flow of immigrants, to include closing German Borders.
He knows where allot of bodies are buried on ALLOT of HOT “INTERNATIONAL” TOPICS.
The commercial INTEL Services company where he worked was a SWISS Company … likely tied to finance and banking.
August Hanning – Wikipedia
He either knows something learned from his INTEL Business ties or the information passed to him is something the current EU and German Governments cannot afford to have exposed.
He was in German INTEL 1986 to 2004, starting out in Counter INTEL
He was Secretary for Ministry of the Interior 2005 to 2009 before retiring.
It just doesn’t end with these people, does it?
This guy, apparently, did quite a bit of intelligence advisory and “diplomacy” in the private sector after leaving his position. That seems like a nasty loophole that Germany needs to address on a general level. Judging by which countries he touched base with publicly after leaving his position, I’m going to suggest Latvia (money laundering worse than Ukraine believe it or not….and very Anti-Russia)….and / or The United Arab Emirates, who don’t depend on legwork for their intelligence as much as they depend on buying it. The UAE buys military equipment and even fighters from Germany and EU as well.
It is likely to include the activities you suggest or something similar related to other foreign actors, which are serious enough … the real hot topic is the EU-German NAMES and Names of EU-German related Governments and NGO’s associated with whatever information he has.
….. with all the volatile EU-German elections in progress or about to occur, he has something damaging.
So how much was Mossad paying him for his info?