German authorities have arrested August Hanning, 80, former head of the BND foreign intelligence service, on suspicion of treasonous espionage. He was detained at his home in Nordwalde on Oct. 6.

The case began with the New Year’s Eve 2023–24 abduction of heiress Christina Block’s two children from Denmark. Hamburg prosecutors accuse Hanning of linking Block to an Israeli private security firm for more than 100,000 euros; Israeli media said he contacted former Mossad chief Danny Yatom, and prosecutors say he asked former Shin Bet chief Yaakov Peri for an Israeli team. Yatom, the firm and Hanning deny the claims.

A 2025 search of his home found secret BND files. Prosecutors say his former aide sold him about 2,000 documents from 2010 to 2022, including on Iran’s nuclear program. They have not named the beneficiary; Der Spiegel points to Azerbaijan and a possible China link.