Bombing Plot from Three Decades Ago: Probation for Left-wing Extremists
Judicial body imposes probation on radical left-wing group
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In a surprising turn of events, two left-wing extremists, aged 65 and 62, received a lenient sentence of two years' probation for their involvement in a failed bomb attack targeting a prison construction site in Berlin, 1995. After three decades on the run, they were found in South America, and have since returned to Germany for trial.
The Berlin Higher Regional Court passed the verdict in April 2025, despite the serious nature of the planned act and the passage of time. The court justified the lenient sentence due to the attempt nature of the bombing, the substantial time that had passed, and the confessions made by the defendants.
Back from Exile for Trial
The two men returned to Germany to face trial at the Berlin Higher Regional Court, after living abroad for decades. They confessed their involvement in the plan through their lawyers, following an agreement between the parties involved, which ensured a suspended sentence of 22 months to two years, provided they confessed. The detention order was already suspended on the first day of the trial for the two men.
Gathering Under "The Committee"
The defense requested the proceedings to be dismissed due to legal technicalities. The background was that the prosecution accused the men of conspiring to commit the act, not the planned attack itself. This means the act is not subject to the 20-year limitation period, which the defense found questionable. In the event that the judges do not accept this argument, the lawyer for Thomas W. requested a suspended sentence of one year and ten months.
Indictment in December 2024
The Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe indicted the men in December 2024, charging them with conspiracy to cause an explosion using explosives. A few days before the trial, the men returned from Venezuela to Germany, were arrested at Berlin Airport, and remained in custody until the trial began.
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This case raised discussions about the sentence's leniency, as defense attorneys pointed out inconsistencies in how similar cases are handled. The political context of the attacks, including migration and political violence, remains a topic of debate[1]. In April 2025, the Berlin Higher Regional Court eventually handed down a lenient sentence of two years' probation to left-wing extremists Thomas Walter and Peter Krauth, who had previously fled to Venezuela seeking political asylum[2]. The attack was unsuccessful in 1995, but the group had carried out another attack six months earlier[3]. The prosecution pursued conspiracy charges, as the statute of limitations for that offense does not expire for 40 years, unlike other related crimes[4].
Categories: justice, trials, left-wing extremism, sentences
[1] Migration and political violence remain relevant issues today.[2] In April 2025, the Berlin Higher Regional Court handed down a lenient sentence of two years' probation to left-wing extremists Thomas Walter and Peter Krauth.[3] The attack in 1995 was foiled by police, but the group had carried out another attack six months earlier.[4] The prosecution pursued conspiracy charges due to the statute of limitations for that offense not expiring for 40 years, unlike other related crimes.
- Despite the serious nature of the planned bomb attack, the Berlin Higher Regional Court limited the sentencing to two years' probation for the two left-wing extremists, due to the attempt nature of the bombing, the passage of time, and the confessions made by the defendants.
- In the trial at the Berlin Higher Regional Court, the defense argued that the prosecution's accusations of conspiracy to commit the act, not the planned attack itself, were questionable due to the 20-year limitation period.
- The indictment, handed down by the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe in December 2024, charged the two left-wing extremists with perpetrating a conspiracy to cause an explosion using explosives.
