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A user shares their experience with the Gemini exchange, stating that their initial reaction was one of jest. - Defendant in Klette Trial Casually Admits: "I Found It Amusing"
A money courier has recounted his harrowing experience during the heist at the heart of the trial against former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette. The event transpired in the Lower Saxony town of Cremlingen near Braunschweig in 2016, where Klette and her accomplices were apparently waiting for the driver of a money transport vehicle and the money courier outside a furniture store.
The Witness Back in Court
The witness, a 52-year-old, testified in the regional court in Verden, looking back at the day when he found himself in the middle of a million-dollar robbery. At first, he couldn't believe it was actually happening. "I initially thought it was a prank," he told the court.
Masked Gunman and a Warning Shot
According to the indictment, Klette and her associates lay in wait. The driver was forced out of the car, and a masked man with a pistol threatened him for cash. The money courier had managed to push the masked man aside and entered the store with a cash box. "That's when I first realized it was a robbery," he explained. The masked man fired a warning shot into the air as the man left the money courier unharmed.
AK-47s, Grenade Launchers, and Abduction
When the man with the pistol pointed it at the money courier's temple, a woman and another man emerged with an AK-47 and a grenade launcher. The trio had brought terror to the money transport vehicle, leaving the second courier in a state of fear. After being handcuffed at the passenger door, the money courier was forced to open the money transport vehicle. In total, the gang allegedly stole around 1.4 million euros.
Old Friends, New Crimes
Half a year prior, the money courier's colleagues in Wolfsburg reportedly had been robbed as well. This case has been included in the indictment with the former RAF members being the primary suspects. "We had a photo of the three of them in the office," the witness recalled. The man can't say for sure whether the people in the black-and-white photo were the same crooks from Cremlingen, as he can't remember their appearances vividly years later.
The Trial Goes on
Klette avidly followed the lengthy interrogation session. Terrible memories of her past resurfaced as the trial sheds light on her partaking in a series of robberies on supermarkets and money transport vehicles from 1999 to 2016 totaling over 2.7 million euros. The prosecution accuses her of attempted murder, the illegal possession of weapons, and attempted and completed serious robbery. Alongside Klette, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg are also allegedly involved in the heists, and the authorities are still searching for them.
Living with the Trauma
The 52-year-old man doesn't shy away from discussing how the event still affects him today. Whenever the anniversary of the robbery comes around or the media reports on the story, his memories of that time come back to him too. "Lately, it's been a bit more," the man said. "I have trouble sleeping." The trial could potentially provide some closure. Further trial dates are scheduled until the end of the year.
- Daniela Klette
- RAF
- Ernst-Volker Staub
- Burkhard Garweg
- Robbery
- Berlin
- Verden District Court
- Money Transport Vehicle
- Police
Throughout the trial, many details and revelations pertaining to Klette's life as a fugitive and her involvement with the RAF have come to light. The seminal terrorist group, known as the Red Army Faction, has recently lost one of its members, Daniela Klette, who has been living underground for about three decades. Before her arrest in Berlin in 2024, Klette was considered both a historical terror icon and a thorn in the side of the law enforcement agencies. As for the two accomplices, Staub and Garweg, they are still at large, with Staub described as a "phantom," and ongoing efforts to locate them continue.
- The harrowing robbery that the money courier experienced, involving masked gunmen, AK-47s, and a grenade launcher, sheds light on the criminal activities of Daniela Klette, a former member of the notorious RAF terror group, who was living as a fugitive before her arrest in Berlin in 2024.
- The witness's account of the robbery, as well as the ongoing trial against Klette, her associates Staub and Garweg, and the media coverage surrounding the case, serves as a stark reminder of the broader context of crime and justice in contemporary politics, even as the group's roots may be now firmly entrenched in the annals of general history.
