August Hanning | The Spy Scandal of the Century is Happening Right Now

<p><strong>Ways to support the podcast:</strong></p><p>Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ <a href="https://bmc.link/philipthompson">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bmc.link/philipthompson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Donate via PayPal: 💸 <a href="paypal.me/PhilipT284">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠paypal.me/PhilipT284⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>On 6 October 2026, German police arrested August Hanning, the former head of the BND, Germany&#39;s foreign intelligence service. It&#39;s the equivalent of a former director of the CIA or chief of MI6 being arrested on suspicion of treason.</p><p>Prosecutors allege that for 12 years his former chief of staff, Manfred Dankesreiter, supplied him with around 2,000 secret BND documents in return for payment. Hanning allegedly used them in his private security consultancy, and some of the material may have reached foreign intelligence services. Both men deny the core allegations, and neither has been indicted.</p><p>The case only came to light by accident, through a police investigation into the kidnapping of two children from Denmark by a German steakhouse heiress.</p><p>This is what we know so far.</p>