Germany's former intelligence chief faces espionage allegations

BERLIN -- A former head of Germany ’s foreign intelligence service who is charged with passing state secrets to a foreign intelligence service was ordered held in pretrial detention after a judge issued an arrest warrant Wednesday.August Hanning, 80, who is “strongly suspected of treasonous espionage, spying out state secrets, attempted treason, and espionage,” led the Federal Intelligence Service, known by its German acronym BND, from 1998 to 2005. He was arrested Tuesday.A former aide of Hanning, identified only as Manfred D. in line with German privacy rules, was also arrested Tuesday and is already in pretrial detention. He is accused of aiding and abetting attempted treason and treasonous espionage.Here's what we know about one of the biggest security breaches in German history:The two men allegedly agreed in 2010 that Manfred D. would continuously provide Hanning — who had left office five years earlier — with valuable foreign intelligence information in exchange for payment. Manfred D. served as chief of staff for several subsequent BND presidents from 2012 until 2026.The federal prosecutor's office says Hanning allegedly used this information to his financial advantage in h...