The jailing of Germany's most wanted woman has concluded a decades-long manhunt. Daniela Klette, a former leading member of the far-left militant group Red Army Faction (RAF), was sentenced to 13 years in prison at the end of May. She had been on the run for 30 years, living under a false identity as Claudia Ivone in a bohemian neighbourhood of West Berlin.
The Ordinary Life of a Fugitive
To her friends and neighbours, there was nothing extraordinary about Claudia Ivone. As our Berlin correspondent, Deborah Cole, explains, the silver-haired 67-year-old had spent years living in the same apartment. She led an ordinary life: she owned a dog, went shopping, and pursued an unusual hobby as an active member of a local capoeira dance group. But Claudia was not what she seemed. In fact, that was not even her real name. She was actually Daniela Klette.
A Notorious Past
For three decades, Klette had been evading justice for violent crimes committed as a leading member of West Germany's most notorious far-left militant group, the Red Army Faction, or RAF. The group was responsible for a series of bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations during the 1970s and 1980s. Klette was involved in several attacks, including bank robberies and bombings.
The Arrest and Sentencing
After her arrest two years ago, she was finally sentenced at the end of May to 13 years in prison. The Guardian's international security correspondent, Jason Burke, joins Annie Kelly to discuss the history of the RAF and whether the conditions exist today for the resurgence of armed militant groups like it.
The case has drawn significant attention in Germany, highlighting the enduring legacy of the RAF and the challenges of bringing former militants to justice decades after their crimes. Klette's sentencing marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the violent acts of the past.
