Germany's Most-Wanted Woman Gets 13 Years
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- Daniela Klette, a former Red Army Faction member, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for armed robberies and possession of military-grade weapons after a 14-month trial, with prosecutors seeking 15 years.
- Klette spent over 30 years underground before her arrest in February 2024, where police found weapons, forged IDs, wigs, gold, and $280,000 in cash in her Berlin apartment.
- Prosecutors allege Klette and two fugitive accomplices robbed armored cars and supermarkets from 1999 to 2016 to fund their underground lives following the RAF's disbandment, netting over $2.3 million.
- Supporters of Klette protested the verdict, viewing her as a left-wing heroine, while separate trials will address alleged RAF-era attacks from the 1990s, though terrorism charges have expired under Germany's statute of limitations.
- Klette's arrest was aided by AI-powered tools used by a podcast team, but her accomplices remain at large, with authorities unable to locate them despite DNA evidence linking them to her apartment.