U.S. intelligence agencies review cooperation with Germany’s BND after arrest of former spy chief August Hanning

U.S. intelligence agencies warned Germany’s foreign intelligence service that their cooperation was under review following the arrest of former BND chief August Hanning on suspicion of espionage and attempted treason, according to an investigation by WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Hanning, who led the BND from 1998 to 2005, was arrested on Oct. 6. German prosecutors accuse him of obtaining sensitive BND documents over roughly 12 years with the help of a former agency employee and, in at least one case, attempting to pass classified information to foreign entities. Hanning denies betraying German state secrets.

According to the German media investigation, U.S. intelligence services delivered the warning to the BND a few days after Hanning’s arrest, saying that while the German agency remained an important partner, the existing level of cooperation was being reassessed. Washington indicated it would continue sharing information in urgent cases, including potential terrorist threats.

The warning reportedly caused significant concern inside the BND, where senior staff were instructed to immediately report any changes in the flow of intelligence from U.S. partners.

German security sources now say cooperation remains at a normal level and that only several working-level meetings had been postponed and later rescheduled.

However, several BND employees told WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung that they had noticed a decline in both the volume and quality of intelligence received from the United States since the Hanning case emerged.

The BND declined to comment on cooperation with U.S. agencies, while the U.S. Embassy in Berlin also declined to provide details.

The case has raised broader concerns among Western intelligence services because some of the classified material allegedly obtained by Hanning may have included information originally supplied by foreign partners.