Former German spy chief's espionage charges

German federal prosecutors are pursuing a treasonous espionage case against August Hanning, 80, who headed the BND foreign intelligence service from 1998 to 2005 and was detained on 6 October. He is accused of paying for secret documents and compiling an analysis based on them for an employee of an unnamed foreign intelligence service, in what is being called one of Germany's most serious intelligence breaches since the Cold War. The case has raised concerns about potential damage to Germany's relationships with allied spy agencies.