A former member of Germany’s notorious far-left terrorist group, the Red Army Faction (RAF), has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being convicted of a string of armed robberies carried out while living as a fugitive for decades. The landmark ruling, handed down on May 27, concluded her first major trial following her highly publicised arrest in Berlin. Daniela Klette, 67, was arrested in Berlin in February 2024 after evading authorities for nearly 30 years. Once considered one of Europe’s most wanted women, she had been living under the alias Claudia Ivone in Berlin, where she maintained a quiet and seemingly ordinary life for around two decades, BBC reported.
The Verden regional court in Lower Saxony found Klette guilty after a 14-month high-security trial. She was convicted on six counts of aggravated robbery, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, and weapons violations linked to crimes committed between 1999 and 2016.
Life Underground and Arrest
Klette was the only woman tagged as “dangerous” on Europol’s most-wanted list. For over 30 years, she lived a surprisingly normal double life in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district under the false identity “Claudia Ivone.” She walked her dog, gave math tuition to local children, and frequented an Afro-Brazilian capoeira dance studio.
Prosecutors said Klette carried out the robberies alongside fellow former RAF members Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub, who remain on the run. The trio allegedly stole around 2.4 million euros through a series of carefully planned robberies used to finance their lives underground after the RAF officially disbanded in 1998.
Judge Lars Engelke said the group operated in a highly organised manner, using fake identities and rented getaway vehicles while treating the robberies as their source of income. “They carried out their robberies with a division of labour and in a highly conspiratorial manner,” said Engelke.
Her run ended in February 2024 after an investigative journalist used AI facial recognition software to match old wanted posters with recent Facebook photos from her dance group. When police raided her apartment, they uncovered a hidden cache containing a Kalashnikov assault rifle, explosives, gold bars, and 240,000 euros in cash
Klette belonged to the RAF’s so-called third generation. The organisation, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, carried out bombings, kidnappings, and killings across Germany from the 1970s through the early 1990s as part of its violent anti-capitalist campaign. She still faces separate proceedings related to three politically motivated attacks allegedly committed during the final years of RAF activity in the 1990s.
The verdict sparked reactions from supporters in the courtroom, with some shouting slogans demanding her release. Klette has backing from parts of Germany’s far left, as per the Guardian. She has remained unapologetic throughout the proceedings and previously told the court she would continue opposing capitalism and patriarchy. She still faces a separate trial for alleged crimes linked to the RAF and has not publicly confirmed membership in the group.
