An investigation into August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has no connection to Azerbaijan, informed sources have told AnewZ.
The sources said German intelligence authorities had informed Azerbaijani officials that the inquiry instead centres on other countries.
Their account challenges reports initially published by German news magazine Der Spiegel and subsequently circulated by international media, which linked Baku to the case.
German federal prosecutors said Hanning, who directed the BND from 1998 to 2005, was arrested on 6 October on suspicion of offences including treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets and attempted treason. A second suspect, his former chief of staff Manfred D., was also detained.
Federal authorities have confirmed that the investigation involves dealings with foreign intelligence, but have not publicly named any foreign service or government.
Sources speaking to AnewZ also said the classified documents Hanning allegedly obtained had not themselves been passed to third parties. Instead, they said, he used the documentation to compile analytical assessments.
Prosecutors say they have not established whether an analysis prepared for a foreign intelligence contact reached its intended recipient. They separately allege that Hanning shared political information with a representative of another foreign intelligence service.
Azerbaijan’s Media and Broadcasting Council has condemned reports connecting Baku to the inquiry, describing them as disinformation and information manipulation. It called the allegations unsubstantiated and part of a broader campaign against Azerbaijan.
APA, citing diplomatic sources, reported that Azerbaijan had conveyed its protest to the German Chancellor’s Office and Foreign Ministry.
According to the sources speaking to AnewZ, other German authorities cannot intervene in proceedings being conducted by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. They said attention should remain focused on identifying the countries and intelligence services involved, stressing that the German public has a right to know.
Hanning and his lawyers denied the espionage allegations following his arrest, according to The Guardian.
AnewZ will continue to monitor developments.
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