Left-wing terrorism: Defense: Former RAF terrorist Klette accused

According to the defense, charges have been brought against former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette. The public prosecutor’s office in Verden, Lower Saxony, is accusing her of attempted murder, illegal possession of weapons and attempted and completed aggravated robbery in connection with 13 robberies, as the defense told the German Press Agency. The public prosecutor’s office could not initially be reached.

Trio is said to have financed underground life through raids

The Verden public prosecutor’s office has been investigating the 66-year-old and her alleged accomplices Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg for many years. The trio is said to have robbed money transporters and supermarkets in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein between 1999 and 2016 in order to finance their underground life.

According to previous information, investigators assume 13 robberies with damage of more than 2.7 million euros. The suspects are also being investigated for attempted murder because shots were fired during a robbery in Stuhr (Diepholz district). Involvement in terrorist attacks will not play a role in these proceedings.

Defense criticizes prosecutor’s investigation

The defense criticizes the investigating authorities. “The indictment has significant deficiencies,” the lawyers told the dpa. They particularly defend themselves against the charge of attempted murder. “For example, it is still claimed that in this case the driver of a cash-in-transit vehicle was targeted. However, this has been refuted by the investigation,” emphasized the defense.

The lawyers speak of a “public prejudgment” of their client. The impression arises that the authorities investigated one-sidedly and were driven by politically motivated zeal for persecution, as the statement goes on to say.

Arrest and searches in Berlin

At the end of February this year, investigators arrested Klette in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where she was living under an assumed name. She has been in the women’s prison in Vechta since her arrest. The pre-trial detention has already been extended once. Klette publicly denies having attempted murder and speaks of state “denunciation” and “media incitement”.

During searches of her apartment, police officers said they found, among other things, a dummy hand grenade, weapons, handcuffs, balaclavas, a kilogram of gold, more than 240,000 euros in cash, digital media and photos. Shortly after Klette’s arrest, investigators also confiscated a construction trailer in Berlin-Friedrichshain, where Garweg is said to have lived under the code name Martin.

But there is still no trace of the 56-year-old and the 70-year-old Staub. According to the public prosecutor’s office, rewards of up to 125,000 euros are offered for tips that lead to the men’s capture. Tips can also be given anonymously. The State Criminal Police Office warns against approaching those you are looking for yourself because they may be armed.

The court must decide whether to open the proceedings

The Verden regional court must now decide whether the charges will be admitted. Preparations for a possible trial have long been underway in the background. There is one problem in particular that concerns the authorities: there is a lack of space in the city with just over 28,000 inhabitants. The search has been going on for months. The investigators assume a large number of co-plaintiffs, witnesses and experts.

In addition, high safety standards must be adhered to. Daniela Klette is considered to be part of the so-called third generation of the left-wing extremist Red Army Faction (RAF). In 1998 the RAF, which killed more than 30 people, declared itself disbanded. The crimes now accused in the region had no terrorist background, as the investigators emphasize.

Further investigations by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office

There are also arrest warrants against Klette, Staub and Garweg on suspicion of involvement in terrorist attacks. The highest prosecution authority in Germany, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe, accuses Klette of attempted murder in two cases and of complicity in explosive explosions in three RAF attacks between February 1990 and March 1993. Membership in the terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF) itself is now statute-barred.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is responsible for investigating the terrorist attacks. In this complex, another indictment and thus another court case against Klette are expected. The proceedings must be conducted separately from the prosecution in Verden.