German Court Sentences Ex-Baader-Meinhof Terrorist to 13 Years

Daniela Klette, 67, was convicted on six counts of particularly serious robbery, extortion, and weapons violations committed between 1999 and 2016, according to Brussels Signal. The trial took place under heavy security measures in Germany.

Klette remained a fugitive for more than three decades before German authorities apprehended her in February 2024 at an apartment in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood. She had been living under an assumed name at the location for approximately 20 years.

Decades of Terror and Crime

The Red Army Faction, commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof gang, was a far-left anti-capitalist terrorist organization that conducted murders, bombings, and kidnappings primarily throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The group took its name from founding members Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, and grew out of the radical wing of the late 1960s student protest movement.

The RAF is held responsible for 34 deaths, including law enforcement officers, judges, American military personnel, and a former Nazi SS officer who had become a major industrialist. The organization officially dissolved in 1998.

Criminal Enterprise After Disbandment

Prosecutors established that Klette and two male accomplices—Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub—continued targeting security vehicles and grocery stores even after the RAF ceased operations, using the proceeds to finance their underground existence. The three-person crew stole a combined total of €2.4 million through their criminal activities, prosecutors determined.

Klette allegedly served as the getaway driver and wielded what appeared to be a bazooka during raids in which her male partners carried assault rifles.

Presiding judge Lars Engelke noted the calculated nature of their operations. The trio rented escape vehicles using false identities and referred to the armed robberies as their employment and revenue stream, he stated.

Police discovered a Kalashnikov assault rifle, explosive materials, and substantial quantities of cash in Klette’s Berlin residence when they arrested her.

Authorities continue to search for Garweg and Staub, who would be 57 and 72 years old respectively if still alive.

Courtroom Disruptions and Additional Charges

Several supporters voiced approval for the defendant from the courtroom gallery during proceedings, as Brussels Signal reports, with cries of “Free Daniela!” resulting in at least one woman being removed by security staff.

In separate legal proceedings before another court, prosecutors have charged Klette with participation in three politically motivated attacks during the RAF’s active period. These include a 1990 attempted bombing of Deutsche Bank offices, a 1991 machine-gun assault on the U.S. embassy in Bonn, and a 1993 prison bombing in Weiterstadt near Frankfurt.

At a previous court appearance, Klette maintained an unrepentant stance and pledged to persist in her fight against capitalism and patriarchy.

With information from Brussels Signal