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German ex-BND president August Hanning arrested on espionage suspicions
Коротко
German federal prosecutors said they arrested August Hanning, 80, a former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), on suspicion of espionage-related offences including attempted treason. A former BND employee who served as his chief of staff was arrested in the same case and is identified under German privacy rules as “Manfred D.”. Prosecutors suspect Hanning received about 2,000 internal documents, many classified, in return for payment and used them to prepare analysis for foreign intelligence officials; German media reported the foreign service involved is not Russian.
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German federal prosecutors said they arrested August Hanning, 80, a former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), on suspicion of espionage-related offences. According to Yonhap, dpa and other German media, the allegations include gathering state secrets, attempted treason for seeking to hand state secrets to a foreign intelligence service, and acting for a foreign intelligence service. A former BND employee who served as Hanning's chief of staff was also arrested; German privacy rules mean he is identified only as “Manfred D.”. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Prosecutors announced the arrests on 6 October local time, in the morning according to Asia Economy. Hankook Ilbo reported that investigators also searched locations in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. [ 2 , 3 ]
According to the prosecution account carried by Hankook Ilbo, Hanning and his former chief of staff are suspected of agreeing around spring 2010 to provide BND information in return for payment and of supplying documents until June 2022, about 2,000 items in total. Many were classified and restricted to internal use, including BND leadership briefings and material for preparing high-level intelligence and security meetings at the Chancellery. Hanning is also suspected of using the information to prepare analysis for foreign intelligence officials, though prosecutors have not established whether it was actually handed over. Separately, he is suspected of providing political information to another foreign intelligence official over several years, some of it based on BND internal material; prosecutors did not disclose the countries involved. [ 2 , 3 ]
German public broadcasters WDR and NDR and the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported jointly that the foreign intelligence service in the case is not Russian, according to Yonhap and Asia Economy. Hankook Ilbo reported that those outlets said the documents suspected of leaking included sensitive reports on Iran's nuclear programme and the Russian military, as well as information received from foreign partner agencies. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Hanning led the BND from 1998 to 2005, then served as a deputy interior minister until 2009 before working as a private security consultant, Hankook Ilbo and Yonhap reported. His former chief of staff worked as his chief of staff at the BND and, from March 2012 until March this year, as chief of staff to successive BND presidents, according to Asia Economy and Hankook Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that the case surfaced from a separate investigation: Hamburg authorities searching Hanning's home in September last year in connection with the suspected kidnapping of the children of restaurant-chain heiress Christina Block found electronic storage media containing BND documents. Hanning has denied involvement in the earlier kidnapping attempt. [ 3 ]
Current BND president Martin Jäger said a broad internal investigation had confirmed circumstances supporting the suspicions against Hanning and that there would be no compromise on internal security, according to ZDF as cited by Hankook Ilbo. [ 3 ]
Почему это важно
The case centres on the former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service and on a co-suspect who, from 2012 until March this year, served as chief of staff to successive BND presidents, which puts internal handling of classified material at the service in question. Prosecutors have not named the foreign intelligence services involved, and the documents indicate the investigation surfaced from an unrelated case rather than from the BND's own controls.
Ключевые факты
- German federal prosecutors said August Hanning, 80, a former president of the BND, was arrested on espionage-related charges. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- A former BND employee who served as Hanning's chief of staff was also arrested; German privacy rules mean he is identified as “Manfred D.”. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Hanning led the BND from 1998 to 2005. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Prosecutors suspect Hanning and his former chief of staff agreed around spring 2010 to exchange BND information for payment and supplied documents until June 2022, about 2,000 items in total. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Prosecutors have not established whether material prepared for foreign intelligence officials was actually handed over. [ 2 , 3 ]
- German media including WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported the foreign intelligence service involved is not Russian. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported investigators searched locations in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. [ 3 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- German federal prosecutors announced the arrest of former BND president August Hanning on espionage-related charges. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- A former BND employee who had been Hanning's chief of staff was arrested in the same case. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hanning led the BND from 1998 until 2005. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- German media reported the foreign intelligence service involved in the case is not a Russian agency. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Many of the roughly 2,000 documents at issue were classified and restricted to internal use. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Prosecutors have not confirmed whether material prepared for foreign intelligence officials was actually delivered. [ 2 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- Which foreign intelligence services were involved in the case. Hankook Ilbo reported that prosecutors did not disclose the countries concerned, and no document names them.
- Whether the analysis material prepared for foreign intelligence officials was actually passed on. Asia Economy and Hankook Ilbo both reported that the actual transfer has not been confirmed.
- The full name of the co-arrested former chief of staff. Asia Economy reported he is identified only as “Manfred D.” under German personal data protection rules.
- The status of the separate child abduction investigation that led to the discovery of the documents. Hankook Ilbo reported Hanning has denied involvement in the earlier kidnapping attempt, and the documents do not say whether that matter is still under investigation.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Hanning and his former chief of staff are suspected of agreeing to provide BND information in return for payment. [ 3 ]
- The co-suspect begins work as chief of staff to successive BND presidents, a role he holds until March this year. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The last documents are allegedly supplied, ending a series of transfers totalling about 2,000 items. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Hamburg authorities searching Hanning's home in connection with a suspected child kidnapping find electronic storage media containing BND documents. [ 3 ]
- Yonhap reports that German federal prosecutors arrested former BND president August Hanning on espionage-related charges. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy reports the arrests of Hanning and his former chief of staff and details the alleged payment arrangement and documents. [ 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the charges, the searches, the case's origin in the Hamburg investigation and the current BND chief's comments. [ 3 ]