Former BND Chief's Company Allegedly Planned Child Abductions

Hamburg - The Hamburg public prosecutor's office has made serious allegations regarding the former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, suggesting that his security company was involved in plans to abduct children from the Block family. Christina Block, 52, is currently facing trial for allegedly hiring the security firm Cyber Cupula to facilitate the kidnapping of her own children, Klara, 13, and Theodor, 10, in December 2023. However, she has denied any wrongdoing.

The prosecution is convinced that Block orchestrated a separate kidnapping attempt more than a year prior, involving Hanning's company, System 360. On September 16, 2025, law enforcement conducted extensive searches at eight residential and business addresses linked to those involved, including locations in Hamburg, Berlin, and the Swiss region.

The operation targeted the security firm System 360, where Hanning serves on the board. Authorities are investigating allegations of conspiracy to commit serious child abduction and incitement related to child pornography.

The prosecutor's statement revealed that Hanning and a former police officer, Thorsten M., were allegedly responsible for a plot to abduct the Block children for a payment exceeding EUR100,000, commissioned by Block's ex-husband. The plan included intercepting the children on their way to school in Denmark, distracting their escort, and forcibly taking them.

On November 9, 2022, a neighbor alerted authorities after noticing suspicious individuals loitering near the Hensel family's home in Denmark. The children's mother had intended to accompany them to school. Thanks to the father's timely intervention and notification of the Danish police, the abduction was thwarted.

Furthermore, testimonies from Stephan Hensel, the children's father, revealed that the day before the attempted kidnapping, Christina Block and her associates had traveled to Denmark. A group of six men was observed outside the Hensel residence, which prompted the police response.

According to investigators, the six individuals were arrested but later released after spending a night in custody. Reports indicated that they were found with knives during their arrest.

Additionally, there are concerns regarding Hanning's potential involvement in an earlier kidnapping attempt during the New Year's Eve celebrations, as well as accusations against him and Block for attempting to discredit Hensel by falsely portraying him as a pedophile. In September 2023, a hard drive containing over 500 images and 64 videos depicting child pornography was allegedly planted on Hensel's property, a claim he reported to law enforcement.

The investigation continues to explore the extent of Hanning's and the other accused parties' roles in these serious allegations.