A German court has sentenced Daniela Klette, a former member of the Red Army Faction (also known as the Baader-Meinhof group), to 13 years in prison for armed robberies she committed while hiding in plain sight for three decades.
Klette was long Germany’s most-wanted woman and the last female member of the far-left terrorist network still at large before her arrest at her home in Berlin in February 2024.
After a 14-month trial under tight security, the Verden regional court found her guilty of six counts of aggravated robbery, along with kidnapping for ransom and possession of military weapons.
The 67-year-old was convicted for robberies carried out between 1999 and 2016, after the RAF had disbanded. These crimes were meant to fund the lives of the remaining fugitives underground.
“They carried out their robberies with a division of labor and in a highly secretive manner,” said presiding judge Lars Engelke.
As the court announced the guilty verdict, Klette listened without showing emotion, while chaos broke out in the public gallery, according to local media.
Supporters booed the judges and chanted “freedom for Daniela.” Earlier in the day, a group of supporters gathered outside the courtroom holding signs that read “solidarity with Daniela.”
Klette spent more than 30 years evading police until she was tracked down living under a false name in the German capital.
Officers found a stash of weapons and a fake bazooka in her apartment in the Kreuzberg district, where she had lived for about 20 years. They also discovered forged identity documents, wigs, gold, and €240,000 (£208,000) in cash believed to be from the robberies.
Prosecutors, who had called for the maximum 15-year sentence, said Klette and her accomplices—Burkhard Garweg, 57, and Ernst-Volker Staub, 72—targeted cash transport vehicles and supermarkets in three states. The trio is believed to have stolen more than €2 million.
Investigators said they found DNA from both men in Klette’s apartment when she was arrested, including on an electric toothbrush. Staub and Garweg are still on the run.
The defense had argued for her acquittal, saying there was no proof she was involved in the robberies and that the weapons charges deserved no more than a suspended sentence.
At the start of the trial in March 2025, Klette, now with silver hair, broke her silence to criticize what she called a politically motivated trial and vowed to stay true to the fight against “capitalism and the patriarchy.”
Prosecutors also accuse Klette of three politically motivated attacks in the 1990s, while the RAF was still active, but those charges are being handled in separate proceedings in Frankfurt.
She can no longer be tried for membership in a terrorist organization, as the statute of limitations for that charge expired in 2018, 20 years after the group disbanded.
Under a false name, Klette was deeply involved in a Brazilian culture center in Berlin for several years, where she practiced capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance and fighting. It is believed that the discovery of photos of her with her capoeira group at Berlin’s annual carnival of cultures—smiling, wearing a white bandana, and tossing petal confetti—led to her identification and arrest.
The RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang after its founding members Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof, was behind a campaign of terror in what was then West Germany in the 1970s and 1980s, involving attacks, kidnappings, bombings, and murders. The radical anti-capitalist group took up arms against what they saw as oppression.US imperialism and a “fascist” German state still filled with former Nazis. It is believed to have killed at least 30 people and injured 200.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the case of Germanys most wanted woman who evaded police for three decades before being jailed
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Who is this woman
She is Daniela Klette a former member of the farleft militant group the Red Army Faction also known as the BaaderMeinhof Group
2 What did she do
Klette was involved in a series of robberies and attempted murders in the 1990s including attacks on banks and armored cars She was also wanted for her involvement in earlier RAF terrorist activities
3 Why was she called Germanys most wanted woman
She spent over 30 years on the run successfully hiding from police Her long evasion and the serious nature of her crimes made her the top target for German authorities
4 How was she finally caught
She was arrested in February 2024 in Berlin Germany after a tipoff from the public Police had been tracking her for some time using DNA evidence and other leads
5 What sentence did she get
In early 2025 she was sentenced to 13 years in prison for her role in several armed robberies and attempted murders committed in the 1990s
AdvancedLevel Questions
6 How did she manage to evade capture for 30 years
She lived under a false identity avoided using her real name and kept a very low profile She reportedly worked as a freelance photographer in Berlin and even appeared in a TV show all while using a fake name She also avoided modern technology and social media
7 Was she still politically active while on the run
No Evidence suggests she abandoned her militant past and lived a quiet civilian life She was not involved in any further crimes or political activities after the 1990s
8 What was the role of the Red Army Faction in this case
The RAF was a leftwing terrorist group active in West Germany from the 1970s to the 1990s Klette was a member of its third generation which shifted from highprofile assassinations to bank robberies to fund their operations
9 Why did the trial focus on robberies rather than terrorism
The statute of limitations for the original RAF terrorist acts
