The former head of the German foreign intelligence service was arrested on suspicion of espionage

The former head of the German foreign intelligence service was arrested on suspicion of espionage

August Henning, former head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, was arrested on suspicion of espionage and attempting to transfer government prisoners to foreign powers.

He headed Germany's foreign intelligence service, Bindi, for seven years until 2005, and now German judicial authorities say he bought classified information from his former aide and used it to prepare analyzes for a foreign intelligence service. Mr. Henning's assistant was also arrested.

Officials did not specify which foreign powers were involved in this case, but media outlets in Germany claim that this information included sensitive assessments of Iran's nuclear program and the Russian military.

Henning's lawyers have denied those allegations.

German judicial authorities say they discovered evidence of espionage last year after searching his home and office.