Britain07 October, 20262 min read
MI6 Investigates Leaks After Hanning Arrest, Prosecutors Say He Received 2,000 Documents
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Former BND chief August Hanning detained over espionage scandal; investigators probe leaks and data compromise. MI6 and CIA reviewing whether their confidential data or spies were compromised in the incident.
MI6 seeks assurances
British MI6 chiefs feared that British spies or classified information may have been compromised after Hanning was arrested, and it described Martin Jäger telling allies that everything was being done to find out what material had been leaked and who it had been distributed to. A formal arrest warrant was issued for Hanning, 80, on Wednesday, and prosecutors alleged he received about 2,000 documents up until June 2022. Leaked emails reviewed by The Grayzone show Hamish De Bretton-Gordon coordinating public statements with senior British military and intelligence figures, and it described Pablo Miller as an MI6 officer who was listed as his principal contact.
De Bretton-Gordon described his day job as “flogging gas masks” to British military and law enforcement, linking the emails to a wider set of British intelligence and media relationships. The Grayzone added that De Bretton-Gordon described his day job as “flogging gas masks” to British military and law enforcement, linking the emails to a wider set of British intelligence and media relationships.
Internal reviews and liaison
Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 intelligence officer, said British intelligence services would meticulously review everything shared with the BND and assess the risks. There is no doubt that there is a major internal security review going on inside MI6 right now, looking meticulously at the intelligence shared with a very trusted liaison partner and assessing whether any of that compromises MI6-related operations and people. Dunn expected the two services would act cooperatively and explained that intelligence sharing uses “automatic checks and balances” mechanisms, including redaction of information relating to sources.
MI6 and GCHQ, as well as several US agencies, were believed to be undergoing a systematic internal review of all sensitive information shared with European allies during the relevant period. Their primary focus was safeguarding sources who may have been put at risk by the alleged leak.
Germany, Azerbaijan, and fallout
Der Spiegel news magazine said investigators were pursuing a possible connection to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan’s Media and Broadcasting Council issued a statement saying the allegations were groundless disinformation. The council said: “The malicious intent of the forces behind this disinformation operation is to damage Azerbaijan-Germany relations,” and a senior Azerbaijani government official told Reuters that Baku had contacted German intelligence services through official channels. German security sources noted that some high-level information handled by August Hanning and Manfred D originated from partner intelligence agencies abroad, raising the prospect that British and American intelligence may have been leaked.
British MI6 and American CIA demanded assurances from Germany that their own classified information had not been leaked, and it described the case as unfolding as Berlin pushed legislation to expand the operational powers of the BND. Marc Henrichmann, chairman of Germany's Parliamentary Oversight Panel, said: “We must fully clarify the circumstances of this case and ensure that something like this can never happen again.”