Grandmother of German Terrorism: Why Frau Klette Received 13 Years in Prison

Emergencies and Crime
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Publiation data: 05.06.2026 14:48

Unyielding justice did not take historical circumstances into account.

After decades of underground life, one of the last remaining members of the "Red Army Faction" (RAF) heard a guilty verdict. The regional court of Verden found 67-year-old Daniela Klette guilty of aggravated robbery, violations of weapon laws, and other crimes. For terrorism and banditry, Klette was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

From Revolutionary to Bandit: Klette's Path

The judge found it proven that Klette participated in armed raids on cash transport vehicles and supermarkets. The crimes were committed between 1999 and 2016 in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Her accomplices, according to the investigation, were Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub. Both are still wanted. The police recently lost track of one of them due to their own negligence.

Klette herself went underground in the early 1989–1990s. She was only caught in 2024 — in a rented apartment in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg, where she, according to the investigation, lived under a false name for about 20 years. And, in general, enjoyed life, knowing no sorrow. Most likely on stolen money.

The court found Klette guilty on several serious charges, including extortion kidnapping, attempted extortion, aggravated extortion, and illegal possession of weapons.

Klette Received a Sentence — Ultra-Leftists Supported the Bandit

The court proceedings in Verden were surrounded by public resonance from the very beginning. It seems that the ideas that inspired the Red Army Faction did not withstand the test of time. Their deadly practices are hardly worth mentioning, as they only compromised their revolutionary message. However, known for her left-radical past, Klette received numerous expressions of solidarity from leftist circles during the trial. Protests in her support took place outside the temporary courtroom in the Verden riding hall.

When the verdict was announced, about 50 spectators were present in the hall. Disturbances arose. Someone from the audience shouted, "Freedom for Daniela." Apparently, the banditry of these dissenters does not disturb them. Nor does terrorism. However, it seems more like an excuse to shout than a call to action. Klette's example is not particularly contagious.

Despite the presence of a leftist lobby, the verdict was relatively harsh, although slightly softer than the prosecution's request for 15 years in prison.

The defendant's lawyers insisted on full acquittal and demanded recognition of guilt only for illegal possession of weapons. Perhaps they accommodated their client's demands. But the court rejected their arguments.

We have touched on this topic more than once. Today, it can be said that a bold period has been placed at the end of the long history of German terrorism. The "Red Army Faction" (RAF) was a left-radical terrorist organization that operated in Germany from the 1970s to the 1990s. Over the decades of its activity, dozens of people lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. The organization, realizing its ideological bankruptcy, announced its dissolution in 1998. However, some of its former members continued criminal activities — but now without ideology, merely for money, to live without denying themselves anything. The arrest and conviction of Daniela Klette became an important milestone. Germans are drawing a line under this dark chapter of history.