Archetyp Links

Copy the current link Add to watchlist An empty building, gasoline in bottles and a suspected letter of confession: The court is talking about a "militant action" as a sign against the persecution of former RAF terrorists. Two defendants have confessed to planning an arson attack in solidarity with former RAF terrorists.“We wanted to send a strong and militant signal,” said a statement from the two men at the start of the trial at the Verden regional court.A third defendant did not appear and the court separated the proceedings against him. Charge: Targeted attack due to RAF investigations The public prosecutor's office accuses the defendants, now aged 36 and 38, of having arranged to commit a crime with their alleged accomplice at the beginning of October 2018.The men from Hamburg are said to have been traveling around Verden at night wearing masks and carrying several bottles of gasoline.According to the prosecution, they wanted to set fire to the former “Meyer Building”.Shortly beforehand it had become known that the public prosecutor's office was to move into the empty house. A police patrol happened to check on the trio - and is said to have prevented the arson at the last moment.The police discovered the gasoline, lighters, lighters and banned pepper spray.That's why the trial is also about a violation of the weapons law. Investigators searched a car and the defendant's apartments in Hamburg.They came across a suspected letter of confession.According to the public prosecutor's office, this expressed solidarity with the former RAF terrorists.The letter ended with the words: “From a spark of solidarity to a spark of hope.” Defendant confessed to “militant action” The defendants admitted in court that they wanted to use the arson attack to send a signal against the persecution of former RAF terrorists.“We were outraged,” said a statement from the defendant, presented by the defense."But none of us wanted to set a house on fire. We would never have gone that far." Don't you want to miss anything more from the star?Personal, competent and entertaining: Editor-in-chief Gregor Peter Schmitz sends you the most important content from the stern editorial team in a free newsletter every Wednesday and classifies what Germany is talking about.Click here to register. Instead, the men said they planned to set fire to several car tires on the street.The "militant action" was addressed to the Verden public prosecutor's office, but the investigative authority itself was not the target.They didn't even know at the time that the public prosecutor's office was moving into the building. Investigations against ex-RAF terrorists The Verden public prosecutor's office moved into the premises at the end of August 2023. It has been investigating the former RAF terrorists Daniela Klette, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg for many years.It involves 13 robberies that the trio is said to have committed in the period after the RAF was disbanded. Klette, Garweg and Staub are said to have robbed money transporters and supermarkets in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein between 1999 and 2016 in order to finance their underground lives.According to the public prosecutor's office, she stole 2.7 million euros, and shots were fired in some of the crimes. The Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office began a search for the former terrorists in 2015.Investigators arrested Daniela Klette in her apartment in Berlin in February 2024, and the trial against her has been ongoing since March.There is still no trace of her two suspected accomplices. Negotiation dates until mid-November The court expects nine days of hearings in the trial surrounding the planned arson attack, and a verdict could be reached in mid-November.According to the court, if convicted, a suspended prison sentence would be possible under certain conditions. The third defendant did not appear at the start of the trial and the court separated the proceedings against him.“The search for the defendant is ongoing anyway,” said the presiding judge.If the 35-year-old is caught, he could face a fine or detention because of his absence from court. dpa