Interrogation of Witnesses Regarding the Assault in Duisburg in the Context of the Anemone Case - Witnesses questioned in the Klette trial for their accounts on the Duisburg robbery incident
Trial of Former RAF Terrorist Daniela Klette Resumes Over 1999 Cash-in-Transit Attack
The trial of Daniela Klette, a former member of the Red Army Faction (RAF), resumed at the Verden Regional Court after a four-week break. Klette is accused of participating in a violent cash-in-transit robbery that occurred on July 30, 1999, in Duisburg.
During the attack, masked perpetrators boxed in a money transporter on a parking lot of a wholesale market, rammed it, and threatened its two guards with a rocket launcher (Panzerfaust), a machine pistol, and an assault rifle. The robbers made off with approximately one million Deutsche Mark (equivalent to roughly 519,000 euros today).
The prosecution believes that Klette collaborated with fugitives Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub in a series of similar attacks across several German states, resulting in the theft of more than 2.7 million euros to finance their underground existence.
Testimony from the deceased money transporter's then-co-driver, presented via police interview protocols, provided insights into the harrowing incident. According to the protocols, the co-driver described being suddenly boxed in by two vehicles on the parking lot and threatened with weapons.
The defense has raised concerns about the reliability of some witnesses, suggesting potential influences from conversations with other witnesses, social media, and media reports.
Despite the challenges, the court has gained a clear impression of the attack in Duisburg. The trial against Daniela Klette is ongoing, with the defense submitting various applications, including the analysis of an expert who researches false statements.
Two witnesses to the attack in 1999 were questioned in court, but their memories were hazy. One of the witnesses was a 40-year-old who saw the masked perpetrators about 26 years ago while on a motor scooter with a friend.
Klette has been in custody in the women's prison in the Lower Saxony town of Vechta since her arrest in February 2024. The estimated damages from the attack amounted to around 519,000 euros.
This trial marks the first time the Duisburg attack is being discussed in court, shedding light on the RAF's continued militancy from the 1970s into the late 1990s and beyond. The attack is one among several violent actions attributed to the RAF as part of their effort to sustain life in hiding.
- The resumed trial of Daniela Klette, a former RAF member, has highlighted the connection between the community policy and politics, as the defense raises concerns about potential influences on witnesses from media reports and social media discussions.
- The ongoing trial also underscores the relevance of the employment policy in understanding the RAF's activities, as the prosecution alleges that Daniela Klette, along with fugitives Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub, used proceeds from cash-in-transit robberies for their underground existence, which could be categorized under general-news and crime-and-justice.
