‘Stab to the heart’: arrest of German ex-spymaster sparks calls for reform

Claims that August Hanning exploited intelligence for private clients comes after other troubling espionage scandals The ex-spymaster August Hanning once criticised Germany’s own intelligence services as “vegetarians” among prowling carnivores, demanding broader powers to keep the country safe in a treacherous world.

Often described as a “godfather” of Germany’s 21st-century security architecture, Hanning is now charged with treasonous espionage and handing state secrets to a foreign power in one of the most spectacular alleged intelligence breaches of the postwar period.

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