New search call
Pressure on wanted ex-terrorists is increasing
The LKA Lower Saxony has been searching for the ex-RAF terrorists for years with target investigators. photo
© Moritz Frankenberg/dpa
The ex-RAF terrorist Klette is in custody, her accomplices who went into hiding have not been caught. But the investigators from Lower Saxony are not letting up, they have lots of clues – there are hundreds of them.
“We will not let up in our search pressure and are determined to arrest the wanted Garweg and Staub,” said the President of the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office, Friedo de Vries, to the German Press Agency. With the help of a new search call, the investigators also want to catch Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub (69) a month after Klette’s arrest. A new poster with photos of those wanted for attempted murder was published and distributed nationwide in printed form.
“Over 750 current clues”
The State Criminal Police Office and the Verden public prosecutor’s office also published the names of the two dogs that Garweg owned at times, as well as aliases that Klette and Garweg are said to have used. Numerous tips are being evaluated by the LKA and the Verden public prosecutor’s office. “We are investigating over 750 current tips that relate to both Germany and abroad,” emphasized de Vries. “Garweg’s bond with his dogs is a piece of the puzzle in our search.” The LKA had previously published a photo that showed the 55-year-old sitting on a sofa between two dogs – in Daniela Klette’s apartment. According to previous findings, both were likely to have been in close contact.
Klette, who lived under a false identity in an apartment in Berlin-Kreuzberg, was arrested on February 26th. Like Garweg and Staub, she belonged to the so-called third generation of the left-wing extremist terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF), which had carried out numerous attacks and killed people until 1991. The 65-year-old is in custody in the women’s prison in Vechta. Burdock, Staub and Garweg were or are also wanted for several robberies in which people were also shot.
The three had been in hiding for decades; according to the investigation, Garweg lived under a false name on a trailer site in Berlin. The authorities assume that the ex-terrorist has lived in various places in Berlin for many years. Recently he was often out and about with his dog Lola.
Utensils for forging documents
Garweg probably only used aliases such as Martin Becker, Martin Martens and Martin von Staden. However, it can be assumed that he has other identities and will continue to use aliases in the future to conceal his identity. During the search of the 55-year-old’s trailer, paraphernalia for forging documents was seized.
According to the investigators, traces were also found in the ex-terrorist’s apartment that can be attributed to Ernst-Volker Staub. Weapons and ammunition were also found. The identification documents found show that the ex-terrorist called herself Claudia Bernadi, Carlotta Gärtner, Claudia Schmidt or Claudia Schmidt Oliviera.
In order to find those they are looking for, the investigators are also relying on the public’s help. So they ask themselves where Garweg lived before his stay in a trailer container in Berlin, where he went with his dogs – and whether he was temporarily abroad. Was dust possibly seen in Berlin – possibly together with Burdock or Garweg? And: Where has Burdock been in the past 30 years? Did she possibly have favorite places, where did she go with her dog Maleika?
Lawyer: Burdock completely isolated
The former RAF terrorist’s lawyer had previously criticized the prison conditions in the women’s prison in Vechta. Klette is monitored by video almost all day and is also completely isolated, said Berlin criminal lawyer Lukas Theune. In addition, books and newspapers previously approved by the judiciary were not delivered to his client. “They don’t even give her a ballpoint pen,” said Theune and announced: “We will legally attack the prison conditions.” According to the Verden public prosecutor’s office, the 65-year-old is being shielded from the other prisoners because otherwise she could circumvent the letter and telephone checks.
What’s next, especially for Garweg and Staub – are the investigators possibly hot on their heels? De Vries emphasized: “In manhunts of this kind, you never know – the decisive lead that leads us to the two wanted people can come at any time.”