A former member of the Red Army Faction (RAF) has gone on trial in Germany for a series of alleged robberies committed over three decades while living discreetly in society.

Daniela Klette, who was the last female member of the far-left terror network still at large before her arrest, appeared in court in Celle, charged with 14 offenses, including armed robbery and murder.

Police arrested Klette in February in her apartment in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood, where she had lived unnoticed by neighbors and participated in daily activities.

Investigators found weapons in her flat, suggesting her possible involvement in further criminal activities.

The RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang, was responsible for terrorist activities in the 1970s and ’80s, and Klette was part of its third generation, which disbanded in the 1990s but allegedly continued to finance themselves through armed robberies in northern Germany.

Klette is accused of participating in armed robberies but not the group’s terrorist activities, which will be addressed separately.

Outside the court, about 50 people from left-wing and far-left groups protested in solidarity with Klette, who is being held in a high-security building due to safety concerns.

Her lawyers have criticized the conflation of the robbery charges with unsubstantiated allegations related to the RAF and the heavy security measures in place for the trial.

The court has scheduled the trial to continue through the end of the year, with Klette’s legal team arguing for a differentiation between the alleged criminal actions of Klette and her purported membership in the RAF.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/25/former-baader-meinhof-militant-daniela-klette-trial-after-decades-on-run