A former member of Germany’s Red Army Faction has been arrested after decades in hiding

BERLIN (AP) — A former member of the disbanded left-wing militant Red Army Faction group has been arrested after more than 30 years on the run, German authorities said Tuesday.

Prosecutors in the northern town of Verden confirmed the arrest of Daniela Klette, 65, but wouldn’t immediately give further details. The Bild daily, which cited unidentified security sources, reported that she was arrested in Berlin on Monday evening.

Klette is one of three former Red Army Faction members whom police have been seeking for years. Klette, Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg have been linked to at least 12 robberies in northern Germany between 1999 and 2016. They were also sought for attempted murder.

Authorities suspect the motive for the robberies was to get hold of money rather than anything political.

In mid-February, investigators made a new appeal for information on the trio on a popular television crime program. They were put on Europol’s “Europe’s Most Wanted” list in 2020.

The Red Army Faction emerged from German student protests against the Vietnam War. The group launched a violent campaign against what members considered U.S. imperialism and capitalist oppression of workers.

The organization killed 34 people and injured hundreds. It declared itself disbanded in 1998.