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Germany's foreign intelligence chief Martin Jaeger has contacted allied spy services, including Britain's MI6 and GCHQ and US agencies, to assure them that everything possible is being done to identify what classified material was leaked and who received it. The calls followed the arrest of his predecessor, August Hanning, on espionage charges, The Telegraph reported, citing British sources.

According to prosecutors, Hanning, who led the BND from 1998 to 2005, allegedly received roughly 2,000 documents, many of them classified, from German national Manfred D. until June 2022. Authorities accuse him of treason-related espionage, obtaining state secrets and passing political information over many years to a member of another country's intelligence service. Both men have been detained. The inquiry began after a Hamburg probe in September 2025 uncovered documents during a search of Hanning's home.

MI6 and GCHQ are believed to have opened internal reviews of sensitive information shared with Germany during the period in question, with protecting exposed sources and intelligence the top priority. There is also concern that British agents may have been compromised. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is due to visit Germany for talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz on the Kensington Agreement on bilateral defence and intelligence cooperation.

Key Takeaways

• BND head Jaeger briefed MI6, GCHQ and US counterparts on efforts to trace leaked material
• Ex-BND chief Hanning and Manfred D. are detained over suspected treason and espionage
• UK agencies are reportedly reviewing sensitive intelligence shared with Germany