Last trial against RAF terrorist: Daniela Klette in court in Celle!

Last trial against RAF terrorist: Daniela Klette in court in Celle!

The trial against Daniela Klette, a former terrorist of the “Red Army Faction” (RAF), begins in Celle on March 25, 2025. Loud uni-muenster.de the process is carried out by Dr. Kevin Lenk, a historian at the University of Münster, who examines the stylization of RAF members and its impact on society. In the 1970s, imprisoned members of the RAF were portrayed as martyrs in order to mobilize support from the political left. This form of stylization experienced a decline in the mid-1970s, but can also be partially transferred to Klette, whose history and forbidden actions are currently causing debate.

Klette, born on November 5, 1958 in Karlsruhe, is associated with the third generation of the RAF. Since 1975 she has been active in various left-wing groups, including the anti-NATO movement. She is suspected of taking part in various acts of violence, including the sniper attack on the US Embassy in Bonn in 1991 and a bomb attack on a prison in Weiterstadt in 1993. Her escape into the underground in the 1990s made her the target of an intensive manhunt that only ended with her arrest in 2023, when she was living under the assumed name Claudia Ivone.

Background and consequences

Klette was arrested in November 2023 following a tip from the public. When they were arrested in Berlin, authorities found weapons, including a defused grenade. The media described the arrest as a “masterpiece.” Klette is charged, among other things, with her involvement in six armed robberies and at least one attempted murder. The trial could therefore have symbolic significance, as it may be one of the last major trials of RAF members.

In the last few days there was both a solidarity demonstration in favor of Klette and a counter-rally by the CDU in Vechta. This shows that the RAF issue continues to polarize society and represents a central place of remembrance of political violence. Dr. Lenk emphasizes that with Klette there are new solidarity movements that update the tradition of stylizing left-wing extremists. This could promote dangerous dynamics in society.

Future developments

With regard to the upcoming trials, the question arises as to whether Klette could reveal new insights into the third generation of the RAF. According to Dr. According to Lenk, possible arrests of her accomplices Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub are also conceivable. Individual involvement in RAF murders could also be clarified, which could lead to new trials. However, Lenk considers the first two options unlikely and suggests that Klette could be the likely final piece in a full-circle RAF story.

The emergence and rise of the RAF were shaped by numerous social upheavals in Germany, starting with the student movement in the 1960s. The RAF developed in response to social and political tensions that resulted in brutality and terror. planet-wissen.de explains that the RAF attracted attention over the decades with violence, bank robberies and attacks on state institutions. This story still has its dark sides today, and the current trial against Klette could mark the final chapter of this turbulent past.