BERLIN — German authorities arrested former Federal Intelligence Service chief August Hanning on Tuesday, alleging he received classified material from a former aide and used it in private consulting work, including in contact with a foreign intelligence representative. Hanning, 80, was detained in Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in southern Germany. The federal prosecutor’s office said he is suspected of treasonous espionage, disclosing state secrets, attempted treason and espionage. The allegations have not been proven in court. A former chief of staff, identified under German privacy rules as Manfred D., was also arrested, in Steinfurt in western Germany. Prosecutors say he had access to confidential information while working for Hanning and later for several BND directors, from 2012 through 2026. Investigators believe the two agreed in 2010 that Manfred D. would provide Hanning with intelligence in exchange for payment. Prosecutors estimate that about 2,000 documents were transferred over the years, many classified and intended for internal use, including executive briefings. The prosecutor’s office alleges Hanning drew on the material in his consulting work and once used classified intelligence to prepare an analysis for an officer of a foreign intelligence service. It also says he shared political information, some based on the documents, with a representative of another foreign intelligence service for several years. Authorities have not named either country and say it remains unclear whether the material reached its intended recipient. The arrests followed evidence uncovered in a separate investigation into the January 2024 abduction of the children of Hamburg businesswoman Christina Block from their father in Denmark during a custody dispute. Prosecutors said a search of Hanning’s home in that case produced evidence relevant to the espionage investigation. Hanning and a retired Hamburg police official were previously suspected of accepting a 2022 contract from Block to abduct the children while they were executives at a security company, according to German news agency dpa. That case drew widespread attention in Germany. Konstantin von Notz, a Green Party lawmaker who sits on the parliamentary committee overseeing intelligence services, called the espionage allegations deeply troubling and urged a swift, thorough investigation. He has also advocated restricting former officials with security clearances from taking private consulting work, citing concerns about the handling of sensitive information after government service. Hanning led the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, from 1998 to 2005. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both suspects’ premises were searched Tuesday.