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Germany
Ex-BND chief's arrest shakes Europe's private intelligence sector

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Updated on 06.10.2026 at 15:53 GMT 3 min read Lire en français

The former head of Germany's BND Federal Intelligence Service, August Hanning on 2 October 2015, in Berlin.
The former head of Germany's BND Federal Intelligence Service, August Hanning on 2 October 2015, in Berlin. © Michael Kappeler/EPA/MaxPPP

The former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, August Hanning, who was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of treason, has worked for multiple corporate intelligence agencies around the world. Their files are now in the hands of the German judicial authorities, who are seeking to establish whether he had links with foreign states.

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