Ex-RAF Terrorist Klette Stands Trial as Armed Robber
Ex-RAF Terrorist Klette Stands Accused in Criminal Robbery Trial
Step aside from the '70s West German chaos, as the trial of former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette unfolds in the Verden Regional Court in Lower Saxony. Klette, 66, is now not on trial for RAF-related activities but is facing charges for 13 armed robberies that she allegedly committed after the RAF disbanded.
Klette, a crucial member of the RAF in the early '90s, has been accused of driving the getaway cars in most of these robberies. The robberies targeted money transporters and supermarkets, primarily in Northern Germany, between '99 and '16. Due to firearms being discharged during one of the heists, Klette also faces a charge of attempted murder, although no injuries were reported at the time.
Her accomplices, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg, remain at large. The RAF declared itself dissolved in '98, a year before the series of armored car capers allegedly began. The trial against Klette is not based on her participation in politically motivated RAF attacks, but the court proceedings may well touch upon the RAF's ideology.
Klette, easygoing but combative, has already expressed her defiant spirit, linking the accusations to a "struggle for liberation" in a statement. Sympathizers of the RAF remain prevalent in leftist society, and there have been solidarity demonstrations outside Klette's detention facility in Vechta, Lower Saxony.
Two million seven hundred thousand euros are believed to have been amassed by the trio through these criminal expeditions. According to the indictment, Klette's role was primarily as a getaway driver, leaving DNA traces in the abandoned vehicles that connected the crimes to the trio, dubbed the "RAF Retirees" by the media.
Initial investigations regarding these robberies took place in 2015, both domestically and internationally. Images of the wanted individuals were released from surveillance cameras, but their whereabouts remained undiscovered until Klette's arrest. Klette, in secret contact with Garweg, was living under a false identity in Berlin, while evading authorities, and there are no leads on Staub's whereabouts.
In a lengthy trial, Klette is set to defend herself against charges of heavy robbery, attempted murder, illegal possession of weapons, and any further allegations arising from the proceedings. With multiple witnesses named, and conjectures of a trial that could last up to two years, the stage is set for a dramatic journey into the past and the present of Germany's dark history.
Sources: ntv.de, AFP, and various news publications
- RAF: Red Army Faction
- Trials
- Crime
Enrichment Data:
Daniela Klette's Trial Background:
- The trial for Daniela Klette, a former RAF member, started in the Verden Regional Court in Lower Saxony, Germany, focusing on post-disbandment crimes committed between '99 and '16.
- The total haul from these robberies is estimated to be around 2.7 million euros.
- Daniela Klette allegedly acted as a getaway driver and facilitator in the crimes.
- Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg are her accomplices and remain at large.
- The trial is not about her role in politically motivated RAF attacks, but the court proceedings touch upon the RAF's ideology.
- In addition to Klette's current trial, she faces separate investigations for her alleged involvement in three RAF attacks in the 1990s.
- During the trial, Daniela Klette expressed her defiance, calling the proceedings "politically motivated."
- The trial is expected to last around two years, with twelve scheduled witnesses.
- Community policy regarding the Verden Regional Court trial of former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette, who is standing trial for 13 armed robberies that occurred between '99 and '16, needs to address the handling of accomplices like Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg and the potential impact of the RAF's ideology on such criminal activities.
- The employment policy of the German authorities appears to have failed in the case of Daniela Klette, as she managed to evade capture for years under a false identity in Berlin, eventually being arrested in 2015.
- Although Daniela Klette is facing charges for post-disbandment crimes, the trial in Weiterstadt is relevant to the employment policy of the RAF, as her alleged role as a getaway driver and facilitator raises questions about the organization's activities beyond politically motivated attacks and the potential for further criminal involvement among former members.
