A trial has begun in Germany against Daniela Klette, one of the last known members of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a terrorist group active since the 1970s. After 30 years on the run, Klette appeared in court on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
She is charged with attempted murder, robbery, and illegal possession of firearms. According to a court representative in the northern city of Celle, Klette could face life imprisonment.
Investigators believe that after the RAF officially disbanded in 1998, Klette and her accomplices continued committing crimes to support themselves financially. In November 2023, prosecutors filed charges against her, linking her to a series of attacks on armored cash transport vehicles and supermarkets between 1999 and 2016. The total amount stolen is estimated at around 2.7 million euros.
Two other suspects, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg, remain at large and are wanted on the same charges.
The RAF, known for its radical far-left ideology, was formed amid anti-war protests against the Vietnam War. In the 1970s and 1980s, its members carried out multiple assassinations of German politicians, businessmen, and American military personnel, killing around 30 people.
Left-wing extremists inspired by the RAF remain active in Germany. In 2023, a group claimed responsibility for setting fire to the garden house of Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, accusing him of profiting from arms sales.
