Arrested German spy chief lashed out at his old agency over allegations he spied for Russia

BERLIN — Former German intelligence chief August Hanning angrily challenged his successor after learning that the agency he once headed, the BND, had passed allegations that he was a Russian spy to investigators. In a three-page letter sent on Aug. 17, less than three months before his arrest this week, Hanning demanded answers to 11 questions from BND President Martin Jäger. In the letter, obtained by WELT — which, like POLITICO, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network — Hanning complained that the BND had passed allegations by a former intelligence agent that he was a Russian spy to investigators without consulting him. Jäger did not respond to the letter at the time, according to Hanning, who spoke to WELT before his arrest.