Britain: MI6 fears a possible leak of secrets by Germany’s former spy chief

British intelligence agencies are investigating whether classified information was leaked or spies were exposed in the biggest espionage scandal in modern German history.

The arrests of August Hanning, the former head of the German secret service, and a current senior official of the service named Manfred Die, on suspicion of espionage and treason, shocked Europe yesterday.

Hanning is accused of illegally collecting thousands of classified documents over 16 years through Manfred D. and selling some of the secrets to a foreign power.

Prosecutors said around 2,000 documents had been passed from the BND, Germany’s equivalent of MI6, during that 16-year period.

German security sources said some of the high-level information handled by the two men came from partner intelligence agencies abroad, raising the possibility that British and American information had been compromised.

Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 intelligence officer, said British intelligence agencies would review everything they share with the BND and assess the risks.

He added that "there will undoubtedly be a major security review inside MI6, which will examine exactly what information is being shared with a highly trusted liaison partner and will consider whether any of it could compromise activities and individuals linked to MI6".

However, the former spy said he would be surprised if this affected the agency’s relationship with the BND and expressed confidence that there would be cooperation between the two.

It is not clear when German officials informed their counterparts about the security breach, although it is believed to have happened before Tuesday’s arrests.

German media reported that the leaked information included details about Iran’s nuclear programme, the Russian military and classified material from partner foreign agencies.

The role of Manfred Die.

Hanning resigned from his post in November 2005 after six years in the position. It was later reported that he was facing bankruptcy.

Manfred D. was his chief of staff at the BND and followed him to his job at the Interior Ministry.

After Hanning’s departure, Manfred Die served as chief of staff to several BND presidents between March 2012 and March of this year.

Through these duties, he played a crucial role in shaping the flow of information to the president’s office, choosing what information would be presented to his superiors and when.

While every intelligence agency is protected against possible leaks by compartmentalising information, as a senior official Manfred Die allegedly had broad access to all the information the BND received.

Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office said Manfred D. was suspected of having provided Hanning with "around 2,000 documents" in total. The two are believed to have reached a financial agreement in the spring of 2010, under which Manfred D. would continuously pass valuable BND information to his former boss in exchange for payment, the federal prosecutor said in a statement.

Many of these documents "contained classified information intended exclusively for use by the federal intelligence agency for internal purposes, particularly for briefings of intelligence officials", he said.

Hanning used the information as part of his private work as a consultant, according to the prosecutor’s office.

"On one occasion, Hanning used classified information provided by Manfred D. to compile an analysis for a foreign intelligence officer", it said.

Officials have not yet confirmed whether the material reached its intended recipient. On Tuesday evening, Der Spiegel reported that the analysis had been prepared for Azerbaijan’s intelligence service.

Azerbaijan has security and intelligence cooperation with, among others, Russia, Israel, Turkey and the US.

Hanning spoke in an aggressive tone towards Moscow in the dialogue on Germany’s national security.

In a 2024 interview with The Telegraph newspaper, he warned that his country was "naive" and needed to "wake up" to a possible war.

"Many people have not understood that we are in conflict with Russia – this has been underestimated", he said. "People are avoiding the truth. Russia is in conflict with NATO and Germany is, of course, part of that conflict", he said, among other things.

According to The Insider, Hanning made at least seven trips to Russia after leaving the BND. The former intelligence chief made all these trips, often spending only one day in Moscow, between 2015 and 2019.

Martin Jaeger, president of the BND, said the agency had "launched comprehensive internal investigations", which confirmed its suspicions.

"For the BND and for me personally, there can be no compromises when it comes to internal security. None of my goals or priorities is called into question by this incident."