German police arrested Red Army Faction (RAF) fugitive member Daniela Klette in Berlin after multiple years spent at large, evading charges of armed robbery and attempted murder, as shared by a German public prosecutor’s office early this week. Klette’s arrest took place in Kreuzberg, a district of the country’s capital city. A second arrest of another suspect also occurred in Berlin, although the suspect’s identity remains unconfirmed, and the authorities have stated that the individual has no connection to the RAF.
An active participant in Germany’s infamous far-left RAF militant group, Klette was part of a group that branded itself as a communist and anti-imperialistic urban guerrilla initiative, confronting what it labelled as a “fascist” state through armed resistance. The RAF, established by Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof during the peak of German student protests against the Vietnam War in the 1970s, has undertaken or masterminded a spate of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, robberies and violent confrontations with the police over a three-decade period.
Klette is currently facing charges related to six armed robberies that took place from 1999 to 2016, which were allegedly conducted alongside two other suspected RAF members, Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub. DNA evidence linked to Klette was also discovered at a 1991 crime scene following a RAF-orchestrated gun attack on the U.S embassy in the West German city of Bonn.
A tip-off from a member of the public in November 2023 ultimately led to Klette’s arrest, according to Friedo de Vries, President of the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office. At a press briefing on Tuesday, de Vries clarified the circumstances of her arrest, stating that Klette was taken into custody from a Berlin apartment without resisting arrest.
Officials have hailed the arrest as a significant victory against terrorism. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser marked this event as a crucial message to the victims of the RAF, adding that “this successful search is the result of decades of tireless investigative work. The constitutional state has shown its perseverance and staying power. Nobody should feel safe underground,” as per a statement from the Interior Ministry.
Following her arrest, Klette was airlifted to Bremen, where she allegedly committed the robberies. She is currently awaiting trial in custody in Verden. Meanwhile, both Garweg and Volker Staub remain at large, and are currently on both Germany and the EU’s most wanted list.