As of: March 31, 2024, 10:00 a.m
By: Jakob Koch
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Friedo de Vries, President of the LKA Lower Saxony, assumes a long manhunt for the RAF terrorists Garweg and Staub. The construction trailer has already been seized. © Moritz Frankenberg / Dominik Totaro / dpa (2)
They are probably the most wanted people in the Federal Republic: The RAF terrorists Burkhard Garweg (55) and Ernst-Volker Staub (69) have been eluding the police for years.
Berlin/Hannover – In the search for the RAF terrorists Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub, the investigators are preparing for a lengthy manhunt – but remain “patient and persistent”. Friedo de Vries, President of the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office, said this to the German Press Agency in Hanover. “I can't imagine that the two of them are currently spending their days in peace. We are determined to arrest Mr. Garweg and also Mr. Staub.” An incident from Berlin shows that this determination can also make mistakes: there the police overpowered a musician because they thought he was one of the terrorists.
Search pressure on RAF terrorists Garweg and Staub: “We are starting from scratch in 2024”
Investigators are currently evaluating thousands of traces and pieces of evidence in search of the crucial clue that could lead them to both or at least one of the wanted people, explained de Vries. The search pressure is high, but the investigators are not giving in. The operation, which has been ongoing since 2015, is now being realigned with current images of Garweg and evidence in a mid-four-digit number: “We are completely restarting in 2024. And we have arrested Daniela Klette.”
The alleged accomplice of the two men, who lived under a false identity in an apartment in Berlin-Kreuzberg, was arrested on February 26th. Like Garweg (55) and Staub (69), she belonged to the so-called third generation of the left-wing extremist terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF), which had carried out numerous attacks and killed people until 1991. The 65-year-old is currently in custody in the women's prison in Vechta. Burdock, Staub and Garweg are also wanted for several robberies in which people were also shot. It remains unclear why the series of robberies ended in 2016.
“Militancy and dangerousness”: Finds among RAF terrorists speak for themselves
According to the LKA president, the officers found considerable amounts of cash in various denominations as well as weapons and ammunition in Klette's apartment. This shows the “militancy and danger associated with the wanted RAF trio,” said de Vries. It is obvious that the 65-year-old had a close connection to Garweg. Traces were also found in the apartment that indicate contact with dust. No further details were given. A trailer container in Berlin where Garweg had been staying was also searched.
In view of the identification documents and aliases found, it cannot be ruled out that “a legend was prepared for a stay abroad,” said de Vries. Klette's preference for Italian names could be related to the availability of identification documents and their security against forgery. “At least we have to assume that she learned the Italian language to create the legend,” he added.
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De Vries emphasized that the investigators assume that both Klette and Garweg acted conspiratorially, cautiously and rather reservedly in their environment - despite the distribution of current photos of the 55-year-old. “Perhaps there was a sense of security because the camouflage lasted for so many years,” de Vries speculated. “I wouldn’t call it careless, though.”
Garweg is considered a man with two faces – “his own, ideologically influenced system of values”
The LKA president described Garweg as a man with two faces. It seems paradoxical that the 55-year-old, who is accused of being a brutal robber and a suspected member of the third generation of the RAF, was perceived in his community as the “nice Martin from the Bauwagenplatz”. “Here, his two faces and what is probably his very own, ideologically influenced value system are shown.” The statement from fellow residents that he appeared social and empathetic on the trailer site is a clear contradiction to this. “We still encounter such disturbing personal justification strategies today in the area of political extremism.”
So far, the investigators are not aware of any accomplices in the left-wing milieu. The contact persons interviewed unanimously stated that they did not know anything about the true identities of Klette and Garweg. We are now investigating whether this is credible. “Ultimately, it must be noted that it is not unproblematic to get involved in a different way and to reveal yourself as an accomplice or escape helper,” emphasized de Vries.
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