Former German intelligence chief remanded over spying claims

The former head of Germany's Foreign Intelligence Service, August Hanning, has been remanded in custody on suspicion of spying. He was one of two men arrested on Tuesday over allegations that they illegally obtained state secrets over a 14-year period, after Hanning had retired.

The second man worked as Hanning's chief of staff until 2005, and then in a similar role for Hanning's successors until earlier this year. It is alleged that thousands of secret documents found their way to Hanning during this time, and that he was regularly in contact with a foreign intelligence agent.

Authorities argue the chief of staff compiled classified documents at the Bundesnachrichtendienst headquarters in Berlin, and allegedly sold them to his former boss. Hanning had gone into private security consultancy and, it is alleged, was in contact from time to time with representatives of foreign countries.

Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane reports from Berlin.

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