The investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice put arrest warrants into effect against former German spy chief Dr. August Hanning and Manfred D., a former deputy who allegedly supplied him with secret files, on 6 October 2026 and 7 October, after both were arrested on 6 October and brought before the judge. [E9][E12]
Hanning is strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, of spying out state secrets, of attempted treason, and of espionage. [E1]
Manfred D. is charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. [E2]
Both suspects are believed to have agreed, presumably in spring 2010, that Manfred D. would continuously transmit valuable intelligence from the Federal Intelligence Service to Hanning in return for payment. [E3][E10]
Current findings suggest that, over the years, Manfred D. provided Hanning with approximately two thousand documents, many of which contained classified information for exclusive internal use by the Federal Intelligence Service, particularly for executive intelligence briefings. [E4]
On one occasion, Hanning used classified intelligence from Manfred D. to draft an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service. [E5]
It has yet to be determined if that material reached the intended recipient. [E6]
Hanning was in close contact for several years with a representative of another foreign intelligence service, to whom he passed political information, partly based on material from Manfred D. [E7]
The proceedings were launched after a search of Hanning's premises by the Prosecutor's Office in Hamburg in September 2025, in an investigation against Christina Block and others. [E8]
Azerbaijan on Wednesday denied a report by German magazine Der Spiegel, republished by German and other media, claiming that Hanning could have been in contact with an agent from Azerbaijan. [E11]
Sebastian Hille, the spokesman, told Courthouse News that serious allegations have been raised but so far remain just that — allegations — and that the task now is to analyse, investigate and verify which of them are valid. [E13]