81st day of trial: Investigations into the Block case brought clues to Hanning

At the end of the 81st day of the trial surrounding the kidnapping of the Block children, the news of the arrest of former BND President August Hanning on suspicion of espionage attracted attention. “The proceedings are based on findings from a search of the accused Hanning, which the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office carried out in September 2025 as part of investigations against Christina Block and others,” said the Federal Prosecutor General in Karlsruhe. “The case was submitted to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office for takeover at the beginning of May 2026.”

The Hamburg entrepreneur Christina Block (53) is accused of having commissioned an Israeli security company to kidnap her then 13-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son from her father Stephan Hensel's home in southern Denmark to Germany on New Year's Eve 2023/24 after a bitter custody dispute.

Hanning is not a defendant in the current block trial

A 37-year-old Israeli is the only one of the seven defendants who has admitted the prosecutor's allegations. The presumption of innocence applies to all accused. Hanning is not a defendant in this trial.

A good year before the children were brought back, there was said to have been a failed kidnapping attempt. The Hamburg public prosecutor's office announced in autumn 2025 that it was investigating the former BND chief and a retired officer from the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office because of the incident in 2022. “The investigations in this regard are continuing,” said the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office in response to a recent request.

Hanning did not come to the Block trial as a witness

Hanning's defense attorney declared a year ago: "My client firmly rejects the false allegations made against him." Hanning was called as a witness in the Block trial. He exercised his right to refuse to provide information.

The 81st day of the trial was short. The court rejected a number of requests from Christina Block's defense to hear further witnesses from the defendant's environment. As soon as the presiding judge closed the hearing, the news of Hanning's arrest spread throughout the audience. According to the Federal Prosecutor General, the 80-year-old is suspected, among other things, of attempted treason and secret service agent activity.

The Hamburg Bloc trial continues on October 13th.