Former German spy chief August Hanning was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of espionage, treason, and obtaining classified information for a foreign power, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office announced.

Hanning, who led the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) from 1998 to 2005, is alleged to have used classified intelligence to draft an analysis for one foreign intelligence service and maintained contact with another. The specific foreign powers involved have not been disclosed by investigators.

Prosecutors also arrested Manfred D, a former BND employee and Hanning's former bureau chief, accusing him of providing Hanning with approximately 2,000 classified documents in exchange for money. Manfred D, who remained with the BND until this year and served as chief of staff for Hanning's successors, is charged with aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage. Hanning was arrested at his home in Nordwalde, while Manfred D was apprehended in Bavaria.

Investigators believe Manfred D leveraged his position to access highly confidential information, which he then passed to Hanning. The documents provided were reportedly intended for internal BND use only. The implications of this alleged data transfer could be significant, potentially compromising sensitive national security information.

Hanning is also accused of passing political information, partly derived from documents supplied by Manfred D, to a representative of another foreign intelligence service over several years. It remains unclear if the analysis drafted by Hanning for a foreign intelligence officer reached its intended recipient.

The alleged possession of intelligence documents by Hanning reportedly came to light during a separate investigation into Christina Block, a German steakhouse heiress accused of orchestrating her children's kidnapping. Investigators suspect Hanning was involved in an earlier attempted kidnapping, which he denies. Sensitive information, including recent BND documents, was allegedly discovered on an electronic data storage device during this unrelated case.

This is not the first instance of controversy involving the BND. In 2023, a high-ranking German intelligence officer was charged with treason for allegedly passing state secrets to Russia, including intelligence related to the war in Ukraine and the Wagner mercenary group, for which he allegedly received substantial payment. That trial is ongoing, highlighting a pattern of security breaches within the agency.

Hanning is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, and Manfred D on Tuesday. The unfolding case raises questions about internal security protocols within Germany's intelligence apparatus and the potential long-term consequences of compromised classified information.