Berliner Tageszeitung - Court orders German ex-spy chief kept in jail after spying, treason arrest

Prosecutors say the 80-year-old Hanning, who led Germany's BND foreign spy service from 1998 to 2005, illegally obtained agency secrets after becoming a private-sector consultant, some of which he may have passed on to foreign spies.

Hanning's former chief of staff, identified by prosecutors only as Manfred D., was also ordered by the court to remain in custody during the investigation.

Manfred D., who remained at the agency until March 2026 working for Hanning's successors, is suspected of having sold around 2,000 secret files to his former boss, who used them for his consulting work.

Hanning's attorney, Leon Kruse, told AFP that his client was being "unjustly prosecuted" and denied the most serious allegations.

Kruse acknowledged that Hanning was in possession of "confidential documents", but vehemently denied any allegation that "he passed on information contained in the documents to the detriment of the Federal Republic of Germany, let alone in exchange for payment".

- Spy service locked in 'shadow war' -

The arrests of Hanning and Manfred D. on Tuesday dealt an embarrassing blow to Germany as the country tries to expand and improve its spy agencies to counter threats from Russia and other adversaries.

Just on Monday, current BND spy chief Martin Jaeger warned German lawmakers that Russia was waging a "shadow war" against the country that includes sabotage and assassination plots in addition to classic espionage.

Hanning was allegedly in "close contact" with a spy from one country, and also used confidential information to prepare a briefing for an agent of another foreign power, although it is unclear whether he actually passed along secrets.

Prosecutors did not name either foreign country allegedly involved, although AFP understands that Russia was not involved.

An Azerbaijani intelligence operative may have been the client for the briefing, according to a report by Spiegel news magazine, which cited unnamed sources.

German public broadcaster ARD reported that the documents allegedly obtained by Hanning included highly sensitive reports concerning Iran's nuclear programme and the Russian military.

- 'Serious allegations' -

Azerbaijan protested to the German government over the report linking Baku to the espionage investigation according to Azerbaijani media. The country's media regulator rejected the stories as "disinformation".

A German government spokesman would not comment on the reported protest or other aspects of the case when pressed by reporters at a briefing in Berlin.

"Serious allegations have been raised, but so far they remain just that -- allegations -- and the task now is to analyse, investigate, and verify which of them are valid," said the spokesman, Sebastian Hille.

"Only then can the extent of the damage be assessed, rather than speculating," Hille said.

Investigators began looking into Hanning after his name surfaced in a high-profile criminal case against steakhouse chain heiress Cristina Block, who is on trial for allegedly ordering the kidnapping of her two children during a bitter custody dispute.

Hanning allegedly connected Block with a private security firm run by ex-Israeli intelligence operatives who are accused of carrying out the abductions.

Block allegedly paid Hanning and a retired police officer more than 100,000 euros ($112,000) for their alleged role in the affair.

As part of the Block case, authorities raided Hanning's property in September 2025, reportedly leading to the current espionage and treason investigation.

L. Brown--BTZ