In recent days, Germany has intensified the search for the two former terrorists of the Red Army Faction (RAF) who, together with Daniela Klette, arrested last week in Berlin, were part of a well-known trio who had fled from justice for more than 30 years. The police are still searching for Burkhard Garweg, 69, and Ernst-Volker Staub, 55, still in hiding. The group is accused of attempted murder and a series of violent robberies committed between 1999 and 2016, after going underground following the dissolution of the RAF in 1998.
Police vans in the streets, appeals in the media asking for clues, raids and control operations on motorways show the intense search for the two former members of what is known as the third generation of the RAF, also called the Baader-Meinhof gang.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office brought Daniela Klette before the judge this Thursday to formalize the charges against her. As specified by the public ministry in a statement, she is accused of two attempted murders, as well as the attempt to detonate explosive material and commit that crime as an accomplice.
Meanwhile, the search for his companions is apparently focused on Garweg, of whom recent photographs that were found in Daniela Klette’s apartment have been provided. This was confirmed this Monday by a spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony Criminal Police Office. Some of the photos are from this year, the spokeswoman said.
In the images he is seen in a private environment, sitting on a sofa accompanied by some photographs of his two dogs and looking directly at the camera. The quality of the images is much better than those handled by the authorities until now and have been disseminated by the media and in public spaces to ask for the support of the population, but warning that they should not approach them if they think they recognize them because they can be dangerous. 150,000 euros are offered for information leading to the capture of the two men.
Technically modified images of Garweg have also been released. “It cannot be ruled out that Garweg altered his appearance,” according to a statement. For this reason, researchers have published three different versions of the same photo, in which the former terrorist can be seen wearing a cap, bald or with glasses.
During the night of Monday and early Tuesday, police forces searched a floor of a student residence located in the Berlin neighborhood of Friedrichshain, in the east of the German capital. In that same neighborhood, on Sunday they searched another apartment near the popular Boxhagener Square and a trailer park, where Garweg is believed to have lived for some time, known for housing very politically active squatters.
No one was arrested in any of the searches, although it has not been revealed if new clues were found. At the moment, the Lower Saxony Criminal Investigation Office has not wanted to provide any information on possible clues. Additionally, late on Monday, officers stopped and seized a Ford motorhome on the A5 motorway near Darmstadt. Police sources confirmed that the operation was related to the search for the men, but without going into further details.
Call to surrender
This intense siege on terrorists has led German authorities to call on former terrorists to surrender, as they claim to be hot on their heels.
A spokesman for the Lower Saxony state prosecutor’s office, which is leading the search for the men, said they must be “under a lot of pressure” and appealed – in particular to Garweg – to surrender “in order to avoid a possible confrontation with police”.
“Garweg must go to the nearest police station,” declared the spokesperson, who indicated that he has been exposed without a place to shelter after the searches carried out in Berlin, so in his opinion “it is a good time to turn himself in.” .
The entire operation began with the arrest last week of Klette, 65, who had lived in an apartment in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg for four years under the name Claudia, and whose arrest was made possible thanks to the tip of a given citizen. in November after the broadcast of a program on German public television in which the three terrorists were discussed.
During a search of the apartment, “heavy weapons” were found. Among them were a Kalashnikov, a machine gun, a pistol with ammunition, explosives and an anti-tank grenade.
Follow all the international information on Facebook y Xor our weekly newsletter.
to continue reading
_