On 6 October, the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of the former president of the Federal Intelligence Service, August Hanning, and his former chief of staff, Manfred D., in connection with a case involving possible intelligence activities detrimental to the state. Investigators are also examining the possibility that one of the incidents may be linked to a representative of the Azerbaijani intelligence services, although the public prosecutor’s office has not publicly named the country.
Briefly about the main points
- Augusta Hanning and Manfred D. were arrested in Germany on 6 October.
- Hanning is suspected of espionage, obtaining state secrets and attempted treason.
- The Public Prosecutor’s Office did not name the country and did not establish that the analysis had been handed over to the recipient.
- The Azerbaijan Media Council has denied any link between the country and the case.
What allegations have the investigators put forward?
According to a statement from the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, Hanning are suspected of conducting espionage to the detriment of the state, obtaining state secrets, attempting treason and acting as agents. Manfred D. They are charged with aiding and abetting in relation to the alleged offences.
Hunning headed the BND from 1998 to 2005. Manfred D. had previously headed his office, and from 2012 to 2026 served as chief of staff to several successive presidents of the service. The allegations represent the investigative authorities’ procedural position and do not constitute a judicial finding of guilt.
What is known about the classified documents and the possible recipient?
According to the investigation, Manfred D. may have been regularly passing on valuable information to Hanning BND as far back as 2010. The media, citing the case files, reported that there were around 2,000 documents, a significant proportion of which were subject to access restrictions.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that, in one instance, Hanning allegedly used classified information to prepare a written analysis for an employee of an unnamed foreign intelligence and security service. The office did not specify the country and noted that it had not yet established whether the recipient had received the analysis.
According to *Der Spiegel*, the likely instigator may have been a representative of the Azerbaijani intelligence services. This, therefore, refers to a media report regarding the possible purpose of the analysis, rather than an established fact that secret documents were handed over to Azerbaijan.
The link to the forum and Azerbaijan’s response
Hunning was a member of the board of the German-Azerbaijani Forum, according to a statement issued by the organisation in August 2025. This confirms his public association with the forum, which is dedicated to the development of German-Azerbaijani relations, but does not constitute evidence of contacts with intelligence services.
On 7 October, Azerbaijan’s Media and Broadcasting Council described reports linking the country to the investigation into Hanning as disinformation. This statement specifically concerns the media reports about an Azerbaijani link; the arrest and criminal investigation in Germany have been officially confirmed by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.
