Germany.. Former Intelligence Chief Arrested on Suspicion of Espionage and Treason

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The Federal Prosecutor in Germany announced today, Tuesday, the arrest of the former president of the German intelligence agency, August Hanning, who held his position between 1998 and 2005, along with an employee in the intelligence office named Manfred D., on suspicions related to the leaking of classified documents and intelligence information.

The charges against Hanning include espionage and treason, spying on state secrets, and attempted treason.

According to the arrest warrant, the two men agreed in 2010 that Manfred D. would leak classified intelligence information to Hanning in exchange for money.

It is believed that Manfred D. handed over to Hanning approximately two thousand documents over the past years, many of which were classified and intended for internal use by the German intelligence agency.

Some of this information was related to high-level intelligence briefings provided to senior officials in the German government and security agencies.

It is also suspected that Hanning had been in close contact for years with a representative of a foreign intelligence agency, and that he conveyed political information to them, some of which was based on materials obtained from Manfred D.