Federal prosecutors said they strongly suspect Hanning of 'treasonous espionage, obtaining state secrets, attempted treason' through contact with foreign intelligence services since 2010. He is accused of obtaining approximately 2,000 sensitive documents from a former bureau chief, who has also been taken into custody.
The arrest revives memories of past intelligence officers who betrayed their countries. One notable example is Kim Philby, the British double agent who worked for the Soviet Union as part of the 'Cambridge Five' spy ring. Philby, a senior MI6 officer, provided Soviet handlers with state secrets, agent identities, diplomatic and military intelligence, and counter-intelligence operations for nearly two decades before defecting to Russia in 1963. The information he provided is believed to have resulted in the deaths of agents and the collapse of Western operations, including a joint CIA-MI6 mission in Albania. Philby is regarded as the most damaging spy in British history.