Long-sought Red Army Faction suspect goes on trial in Germany

CELLE, Germany (Reuters) -One of the last surviving alleged members of the Red Army Faction group that carried out murders and kidnappings in Germany from the 1970s went on trial on Tuesday after she hid from authorities for three decades.

Daniela Klette, who was arrested in Berlin in February 2024, is being tried for attempted murder, robbery and illegal possession of firearms, potentially facing life in prison, a spokesperson for the court in the northern city of Celle told Reuters.

Klette's lawyer Lukas Theune has questioned the charges, which relate to the period after the Red Army Faction formally wound itself up in 1998. Theune did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Tuesday.

The militant left-wing group sprang out of Germany's anti-Vietnam war protests and killed some 30 people - German politicians, businessmen and U.S. soldiers - during the 1970s and 1980s.

Prosecutors in November accused Klette of going on a robbery spree with two accomplices to sustain themselves financially in the aftermath of the dissolution of the group, which during its early years was also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang after two of its founders.

Police are still searching for the two other alleged members of the so-called third generation of the militant group, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg. Both men are wanted on the same charges as Klette.

Klette, aged 66, is standing trial for her role in alleged raids by the trio on money transport vehicles and supermarkets between 1999 and 2016 in which about 2.7 million euros ($2.9 million) in cash was reported stolen.

Reuters video footage showed a white-haired Klette consulting with her lawyer ahead of the court hearing, placed behind armoured glass for protection.

The court spokesperson told newswire dpa that the attempted murder charge stems from the three suspects' alleged attack on a money transport in the northern town of Stuhr, during which holes were shot through a security van's armoured windows.

Her lawyer cast doubt on the charges during a pretrial hearing in November, telling public TV:

"It's still being claimed that she deliberately aimed at and shot the driver of a money transport, something which has been disproved by the investigation itself."

The court spokesperson said the defendant's political background would not play a role in the court's consideration.

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(Writing by Ludwig BurgerEditing by Matthias Williams and Philippa Fletcher)