Dutch police say they have received several tips in the hunt for three former members of Germany’s Red Army Faction believed to be hiding in the Netherlands, days after a reward of up to €80,000 was offered for information leading to their arrest over a series of armed robberies.
The Dutch National Police Unit said on Thursday morning that it had received several tips in its search for three former members of Germany’s Red Army Faction, or RAF, who are believed to be living somewhere in the Netherlands. The tips are now being investigated. The development follows a reward of up to €80,000 announced on Tuesday for information leading to the arrest of the fugitives, who are wanted in connection with a series of armed robberies carried out between 2011 and 2016. Police have described the trio as armed and dangerous.
Who are the suspects?
The three individuals being sought are Ernst-Volker Staub, Burkhard Garweg and Daniela Klette, all former members of the Rote Armee Faktion, better known in English as the Red Army Faction, or by its earlier name, the Baader-Meinhof Group. The RAF was a far-left militant organisation responsible for numerous bombings, kidnappings and assassinations across Germany during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, targeting government officials, business leaders and US military installations over the course of its campaign. The three suspects are believed to belong to the group’s third generation. Klette has become one of the most recognisable former RAF fugitives, while Staub and Garweg have remained among Germany’s most wanted individuals for many years.
From political violence to armed robbery
Although the RAF officially disbanded in 1998, German authorities believe some former members remained underground, going on to fund their lives in hiding through armed robbery rather than continuing any political campaign. Investigators say the trio are no longer being pursued over terrorism offences linked to the group’s earlier activities, but specifically for a series of violent robberies allegedly carried out years after the RAF’s dissolution. Between 2011 and 2016, they are suspected of committing six robberies at supermarkets, along with two robberies targeting cash transports, in the German towns of Wolfsburg and Cremlingen. German prosecutors believe these robberies were intended to finance the suspects’ lives on the run, rather than to support any wider ideological cause.
Decades spent evading capture
Authorities suspect the three fugitives have relied on false identities, forged documents and a network of safe houses to avoid capture for decades. Investigators believe they may have crossed multiple European borders over the years, underlining why cooperation between different countries’ police forces has become central to the ongoing investigation. Police now believe the trio may be living in the Netherlands, based on the fact that their mobile phones were last used there. The continued hunt for former RAF members is regarded as one of Germany’s longest-running fugitive investigations, with authorities still pursuing outstanding suspects decades after the group itself ceased to exist.
Cross-border cooperation and a public warning
German and Dutch police are now working closely together through international law enforcement channels to investigate sightings and intelligence relating to the three suspects, as part of the effort that has already generated the latest round of tips. The reward of up to €80,000 remains available for information leading directly to the arrest of one or more of the fugitives. Police have urged members of the public not to approach the suspects under any circumstances, describing them as potentially armed and dangerous, and have asked anyone who believes they have spotted them to contact law enforcement immediately rather than attempt any direct contact themselves.
