British intelligence services are investigating whether secret information or their own agents could have been compromised in the biggest espionage scandal in recent German history.
August Hanning, the former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), and his former office manager Manfred D. were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of espionage and treason. Manfred D. worked for the BND until March of this year.
Hanning is accused of illegally obtaining thousands of secret documents over a period of years with the help of Manfred D. and selling some of the information they contained to a foreign power.
German security circles said some of the high-level information the two men handled came from foreign partner services. This means there is a possibility that British and American intelligence information was also compromised.
There is also growing concern that the information passed on could make it possible to identify American or British sources - i.e. agents or informants who work locally for the services.
Brits want systematic review
The news caused considerable unrest in the Western intelligence community. Sources speak of a possible major success for a foreign intelligence service and an operation that could significantly damage Western cooperation in intelligence sharing.
According to information from the Telegraph, which like WELT/BILD is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, MI6 and the British interception service GCHQ as well as several US services want to systematically carry out an internal review of all sensitive information that was shared with European allies during the relevant period.
The focus is on protecting sources that could have been endangered by the suspected leak. Similar checks are now likely to take place at other intelligence partners and allies of Germany.
Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 officer, said British intelligence services would now review all information shared with the BND and assess the possible risks.
“There is undoubtedly a major internal security review taking place at MI6,” Dunn said. This involves a targeted investigation into what information was shared with a partner service that was previously considered very trustworthy and whether this may have compromised activities or people connected to MI6.
However, Dunn said he would be “very surprised” if the case affected relations between MI6 and BND. Rather, he assumes that both services will work together to deal with the affair.
It is unclear when German authorities informed their partners about the security gap. However, it is said to have happened before the arrests on Tuesday.
Hanning, once respected president of the Federal Intelligence Service, Germany's equivalent of Britain's MI6, resigned in November 2005 after six years at the helm of the service. He later reportedly ran into financial difficulties and faced bankruptcy.
Manfred D. was Hanning's office manager at the BND and later moved with him to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. From March 2012 to March 2026, Manfred D. was then office manager for several BND presidents. In this position, he played a central role in controlling the flow of information into each president's office. As a high-ranking employee, Manfred D. had access to numerous confidential information.
According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, he is said to have provided Hanning with almost 2,000 documents by June 2022, including information that was often classified as classified. The material was intended exclusively for internal purposes of the Federal Intelligence Service and was used, among other things, to prepare the so-called intelligence briefing.
In the spring of 2010, the two allegedly agreed that Manfred D. would continually provide his former boss with valuable intelligence from the BND in return for payment. Hanning should be able to use the information profitably as part of his private consulting work.
The “Spiegel” reported on Tuesday evening that the analysis had been prepared for the Azerbaijani secret service.
Hanning warned against Russia
Hanning has appeared as a sharp critic of Moscow in the German security policy debate in recent years. In an interview with the Telegraph in 2024, he warned that Germany was “naive” and needed to “wake up” to a possible war. “Many people haven’t yet realized that we are in a conflict with Russia – that was underestimated,” Hanning said at the time. "People shy away from the truth. Russia is in a conflict with NATO, and Germany is of course part of this conflict."
People have "not yet recognized that there is a serious danger. At the same time, there is sympathy for Russia, especially in East Germany and in parts of the extreme left and the AfD, whose currents are calling for an end to the sanctions against Russia."
BND President Martin Jäger said about Hanning's arrest: "For the BND and me, there are no compromises when it comes to internal security. None of my goals, none of my priorities are called into question by this process."
