As of: February 27, 2024 4:15 p.m
Investigators from the LKA Lower Saxony caught the suspected former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette in Berlin on Monday evening. A second person was arrested on Tuesday – although their identity has not yet been established.
According to the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), the decisive tip that led to the arrest of Daniela Klette came from the public in November 2023. According to the LKA, the identity was confirmed based on fingerprints. Klette had been living in an apartment in Berlin under a false identity. She was discovered there by investigators on Sunday. It is not yet known how long she has lived in Berlin. During the subsequent search of the apartment on Tuesday, two pistol magazines and ammunition were seized, among other things. The associated weapon has not yet been found, according to investigators. The police had been looking for Daniela Marie Luise Klette (65) as well as Ernst-Volker Staub (69) and Burkhard Garweg (55) for more than 25 years. The trio belonged to the so-called third generation until the dissolution of the Red Army Faction (RAF) in 1998.
Another RAF suspect caught? Second arrest on Tuesday
According to the LKA, there was another arrest on Tuesday in connection with the search for the ex-RAF trio. “A few hours ago a second person was arrested,” said LKA President Friedo de Vries. However, their identities are still being checked. “We cannot say at this point who it is,” said de Vries. According to information from NDR Lower Saxony, it is said to be a man the same age as the two ex-RAF terrorists being sought.
No resistance to arrest – is a leniency policy an option?
Accompanied by special police forces, Klette was first brought before a judge and then taken into custody.
According to the LKA, Klette was arrested with the support of the Berlin police. During the attack, the wanted person was alone in the apartment and did not offer any resistance. First, she was flown to Bremen in a helicopter accompanied by a special operations commando (SEK) from Lower Saxony. From there she was taken to Verden by special police forces in a car and brought before a judge there. At the request of the Verden public prosecutor, an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday. According to NDR information, Klette was then taken to a correctional facility for pre-trial detention. Prosecutor Clemens Eimter Bäumer said on Tuesday that a leniency rule could also be an option for Klette. The prerequisite is that it provides information that leads to the arrest of the wanted suspected accomplices, Staub and Garweg.
Interior Minister Behrens emphasizes the performance of the investigators
“Today’s arrest is a milestone in German criminal history, especially in view of Daniela Klette’s RAF past,” said Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens. “It is undisputedly one of the greatest manhunt successes of the past decades for the Lower Saxony police,” said the SPD politician. The arrest of “a terrorist who has been living underground for over 30 years” strengthens trust in the rule of law.
Wahlmann’s message to the terrorists: “You will not be safe!”
Lower Saxony’s Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann addressed those wanted with clear words.
Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann (SPD) also praised the work of the investigative authorities. “No matter how long ago the crimes took place, the perpetrators can never be sure,” said Wahlmann. The investigative authorities never let up. This is an important sign for the victims who are now finally receiving justice. Addressing the perpetrators, Wahlmann said: “We will continue to prosecute your crimes. You will not be safe. Our constitutional state will not let up.” The Minister of Justice was confident that after Klette’s arrest, the other accused would also be caught.
Videos
1 Min
The public prosecutor’s office in Verden confirmed the arrest in Berlin on Tuesday morning. (02/27/2024) 1 min
Suspected RAF trio: crime scenes also in Lower Saxony
Most recently, investigators in the ZDF program “Aktenzeichen XY… unsolved” once again called on the public to provide information about those they were looking for. However, according to investigators, the crucial clue that led to the arrest is not related to the program. The authorities accuse Staub, Klette and Garweg of attempted murder and a series of attempted and completed aggravated robberies between 1999 and 2016. According to the information, the crime scenes are in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The judiciary in Verden is investigating the trio, among other things, for serious robberies on money transporters in Wolfsburg, in the Diepholz district and in the Wolfenbüttel district. The trio, who have been on the run for more than 30 years, are supposed to use the raids to finance their underground lives. The last time there was a false alarm was ten days ago: on a regional train to Wuppertal, a man was mistakenly mistaken for former suspected RAF member Ernst-Volker Staub.
The ex-RAF trio has been suspected to be in Lower Saxony since 2006
- April 7/8, 2009: Theft of a vehicle from a parking lot on Brandenburger Straße in Osnabrück.
- January 2, 2015: Robbery at a “Kaufland” market in Osnabrück
- End of 2014 and beginning of 2015: Purchase of the later crime vehicles for the crime in Groß Mackenstedt (Diepholz district). The buyer called himself Michael Jansen, came several times on foot and paid in cash.
- June 6, 2015: attempted murder/attempted aggravated robbery in Groß Mackenstedt. The getaway vehicle was parked three kilometers away from the Groß-Ippener junction.
- September 2015: Purchase of a blue Ford Focus in Ronnenberg (Hannover region).
- November 2015: Purchase of a green VW Golf Variant in Celle. The buyer always showed up on foot and paid in cash. He called himself Robert Hagen.
- December 28, 2015: Robbery on a cash-in-transit truck at the Real-Markt in Wolfsburg-Nordsteimke. The perpetrators fled in a blue Ford Focus with a Wolfsburg license plate. A green Golf Variant with a Wolfsburg license plate was left at the crime scene. The Ford Focus was found the following day without a license plate and covered with a camouflage net in a forest in Volkmarsdorf.
- April 22, 2016: License plate theft in Diekholzen (Hildesheim district).
- May 7, 2016: Robbery at a Rewe store in Hildesheim. The getaway vehicle, the VW Polo, was found without a license plate ten kilometers away in a forest between the towns of Ottbergen and Wöhle on the day of the crime.
- June 25, 2016: Robbery on a cash-in-transit truck in Cremlingen (Wolfenbüttel district). The crime vehicles used were a silver Ford Mondeo with double license plates and a blue Opel Corsa with a false license plate.
Further information
4 Min
Investigators from Lower Saxony are said to have caught them in a Berlin apartment. Ammunition was probably also found there. 4 mins
5 Min
The now 65-year-old was arrested in Berlin – on the basis of an arrest warrant from the Verden public prosecutor’s office. 5 mins
Its origins lie in the ’68 movement. Then the RAF develops into the most brutal terrorist group in the republic. After almost 30 years, it disbanded in 1998. (02/27/2024) more
From the 1970s onwards, terrorist attacks by the RAF kept the Federal Republic in suspense and there were deaths. In the “German Autumn” of 1977 the situation escalated. (02/27/2024) more
The Verden public prosecutor’s office has confirmed investigations. Garweg and two other RAF members went into hiding. (03/31/2023) more
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NDR 1 Lower Saxony | Current | 02/27/2024 | 12:00 o’clock