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Red Army Faction (RAF)

The Red Army Faction was a West German far-left militant group founded in the 1970s. It conducted murders of politicians and Business Leaders and bank robbieries.

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All Content on this topic

RAF solidarity demonstration in Berlin - a banner reads "Freedom for Daniela - it is the system that is terrorist"

RAF solidarity demonstration in Berlin - a banner reads "Freedom for Daniela - it is the system that is terrorist"

Germany's far-left terrorist Red Army Faction in court

The trial of alleged Red Army Faction (RAF) terrorist Daniela Klette is attracting considerable media attention.

Suspected terrorist and RAF member Daniela Klette.

Suspected terrorist and RAF member Daniela Klette.

Germany's RAF terror: Will new arrest answer old questions?

After Daniela Klette's arrest, investigators are hoping for new insights into crimes committed by the Red Army Faction.

Former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette is led to a helicopter

Former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette is led to a helicopter

Far-left RAF terror suspect Daniela Klette appears in court

Daniela Klette, a member of Germany's far-left extremist Red Army Fraction, has appeared in court.

Frankfurt: A burned department store in 1968, seen in a black and white photo

Frankfurt: A burned department store in 1968, seen in a black and white photo

Germany's Red Army Faction: Terror suspect arrested

The left-wing terrorist group, Red Army Faction, has left deep scars on the German psyche for decades.

An undated black and white mug shot of a youthful Daniela Klette

An undated black and white mug shot of a youthful Daniela Klette

Far-left RAF terror suspect Daniela Klette arrested

A suspect believed to have been a member of the far-left Red Army Faction has been arrested in Berlin.

A heavily armed SWAT team at Wuppertal's main train station

A heavily armed SWAT team at Wuppertal's main train station

Germany: False alarm in hunt for terrorist on run since 90s

Swat teams swarmed Wuppertal's central station looking to arrest former RAF terrorist Ernst-Volker Staub.

The RAF was a left-wing terrorist group that emerged from German student protests against the Vietnam War

The RAF was a left-wing terrorist group that emerged from German student protests against the Vietnam War

Germany: Red Army Faction cache barrel found in forest

Authorities found documents and cases with unknown liquids purported to belong to the defunct far-left Red Army Faction.

Bernhard Schlink

Bernhard Schlink

'The Reader' author turns 75

Bernhard Schlink focuses on Germany's painful legacies.

A still-shot from a police video of ex-RAF members allegedly robbing a grocery store

A still-shot from a police video of ex-RAF members allegedly robbing a grocery store

German police step up search for ex-RAF terrorists

German police have released new photos and videos of three former RAF militants linked to at least nine robberies.

RAF hijacked a Luthansa plane in October 1977

RAF hijacked a Luthansa plane in October 1977

The legacy of the 1977 German Autumn of left-wing terror

September 5, 1977: the start of the German Autumn of terror. Filmmaker Andres Veiel tells DW how he saw the events.

Schleyer Entführung 1977

Schleyer Entführung 1977

Hanns Martin Schleyer: Sacrificed by the state?

The abduction and murder of Hanns Martin Schleyer 40 years ago was a turning point for the Federal Republic of Germany.

Neonazi Horst Mahler

Neonazi Horst Mahler

Holocaust denier kicked out of Hungary

The left-wing militant turned neo-Nazi Horst Mahler has been deported to Germany after trying to seek asylum in Hungary.

Deutschland Horst Mahler in Gericht

Deutschland Horst Mahler in Gericht

Infamous German neo-Nazi arrested

One of Germany's most prominent far-right figures applied for asylum in Hungary and was subsequently arrested.

(Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/BKA)

(Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/BKA)

German RAF fugitives suspected in more crimes

Three fugitives of Germany's far-left Red Army Faction have been blamed for at least six supermarket heists.

Ex-RAF terrorists

Ex-RAF terrorists

Police release new photos of former RAF terrorists

The two men are part of a trio, wanted on suspicion of attempted murder and attempted aggravated robbery.

Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub, Daniela Klette and Burkhard Garweg

Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub, Daniela Klette and Burkhard Garweg

Police reportedly search houses in RAF case

Three former members of the the disbanded RAF terrorist group are wanted in connection with two attempted robberies.

Deutschland RAF-Mitglieder Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub, Daniela Klette und Burkhard Garweg

Deutschland RAF-Mitglieder Ernst-Volker Wilhelm Staub, Daniela Klette und Burkhard Garweg

Police seek fugitive ex-Red Army Faction members

Ex-members of the Red Army Faction - known for its heists and killings - are linked to a botched robbery, police say.

Helmut Schmidt with his wife Loki

Helmut Schmidt with his wife Loki

Inside Europe: Remembering Helmut Schmidt

Helen Seeney talks to DW's Mark Caldwell about Helmut Schmidt's long poltical career and legacy for Europe.

Hans-Dietrich Genscher Buchvorstellung 12.11.2014

Hans-Dietrich Genscher Buchvorstellung 12.11.2014

Genscher's gun

Germany's former foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher had a pistol in his pocket at all times.

Verena Becker

Verena Becker

Becker trial conundrum

The trial of ex-terrorist and RAF member Verena Becker tried to solve a 30-year mystery.

The scene of the killing in 1977 - the bodies of Buback and his driver lie near their car.

The scene of the killing in 1977 - the bodies of Buback and his driver lie near their car.

No news from the RAF

Ex-RAF terrorist Verena Becker's testimony on the Buback murder has not changed the facts.

Verena Becker in the Stuttgart courtroom

Verena Becker in the Stuttgart courtroom

Becker breaks her silence

A former member of the Red Army Faction terrorist gang has denied any involvement in the 1977 murder of West Germany's top prosecutor. It was the first time that Verena Becker has spoken at the trial.

Two photos showing Verena Becker young and old

Two photos showing Verena Becker young and old

German terrorist Verena Becker breaks her silence (May 2012)

Verena Becker, a former member of the Red Army Faction, has for the first time spoken out about a murder of which she has been accused of involvement. She denied taking part in the drive-by shooting that killed Germany's most senior prosecutor and two others in 1977. The trial against Becker has been under way for 18 months.

Birgit Hogefeld, pictured in 1994

Birgit Hogefeld, pictured in 1994

On parole

A German court frees the last convicted member of the Red Army Faction after 18 years in prison.

Greek police charge anarchists during a demonstration in Athens

Greek police charge anarchists during a demonstration in Athens

Terror arrests

Four Greeks and a German woman have been snared by police in a terrorism sweep in Athens.

Verena Becker, wearing large sunglasses

Verena Becker, wearing large sunglasses

Terrorism trial

Former Red Army Faction member Verena Becker stands trial over the 1977 murder of a prosecutor.

Birgit Hogefeld

Birgit Hogefeld

Clemency denied

A bid for clemency, sought by a former German terrorist sentenced for murder, has been denied.

German documentary on lawyers seeks to explain the lure of the Red Army Faction

Left-wing lawyers, Horst Mahler, Otto Schily and Hans-Christian Stroebele, went on to pursue very different careers, as Holocaust denier, interior minister, and conscience of the Green party, respectively.

Verena Becker as a young woman

Verena Becker as a young woman

Baader-Meinhof gang

A documentary reveals how a German terrorist received thousands in exchange for tip-offs.

A photo of Verena Becker from a wanted poster distributed in the 1970s

A photo of Verena Becker from a wanted poster distributed in the 1970s

RAF arrest

Authorities have arrested a former leftist terrorist for her role in the murder of Siegried Buback.

Alleged Sauerland cell mastermind Fritz Gelowicz

Alleged Sauerland cell mastermind Fritz Gelowicz

Terror suspect confesses

The suspected mastermind of the Sauerland cell has confessed in a Duesseldorf court.

Girlfriend holding the head of a fatally wounded Benno Ohnesorg

Girlfriend holding the head of a fatally wounded Benno Ohnesorg

Ohnesorg Stasi

New evidence suggests a student protester in 1967 was killed by an East German Stasi informant.

RAF symbol

RAF symbol

German, 60, Admits to Involvement in 1980s Terrorist Group

A 60-year-old German computer specialist has admitted to being part of a far-left terrorist group that operated in the shadow of Germany's violent Red Army Faction during the 1980s.

Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) und Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) in "The Baader-Meinhof Complex"

Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu) und Gudrun Ensslin (Johanna Wokalek) in "The Baader-Meinhof Complex"

RAF Film Protest

The widow of RAF victim Juergen Ponto is upset over a new blockbuster film.

Murder scene of Siegfried Buback

Murder scene of Siegfried Buback

Punishment Avoided

RAF terrorists won't return to jail for refusing to testify again, Germany's high court said.

Ulrike Meinhof at her arrest

Ulrike Meinhof at her arrest

Pictorial Evidence

New photos have been uncovered of RAF terrorist leaders who killed themselves in a German jail.

Birgit Hogefeld

Birgit Hogefeld

Terrorist Request Rejected

Ex-Red Army Faction member's crimes deemed too severe for early release after 15 years.

The author Jutta Ditfurth with a copy of the book in her hand

The author Jutta Ditfurth with a copy of the book in her hand

Glamorizing Terrorism?

A former Greens politician is under fire for her book on one of Germany's most famous terrorists.

Back to Jail?

A judge called for the arrest of former RAF members who aren't cooperating with a federal inquiry.

Photo showing the damaged Weiterstadt prison

Photo showing the damaged Weiterstadt prison

Baader-Meinhof Group

New information reveals three RAF suspects from a 1993 terrorist bombing have been identified.

RAF Chronology

Between 1970 and 1998, RAF terrorist activities left 34 people dead.

Red Army Faction

Thirty years ago the RAF kidnapped Hanns Martin Schleyer, triggering an autumn of terror.

Police examine the remains of a car from an RAF attack that left a banker dead

Police examine the remains of a car from an RAF attack that left a banker dead

Left Wing Terrorism

Red Army Faction terrorists considered kidnapping Willy Brandt, investigators determined.

Brigitte Mohnhaupt portrait

Brigitte Mohnhaupt portrait

Mohnhaupt No More

RAF leader Brigitte Mohnhaupt wants a new name to go with her new freedom. She was paroled in March.

RAF Recordings

Audio tapes containing testimony by leading RAF members have surfaced 30 years after their trial.

Clemency or Not?

DW's Heinz Dylong questions President Köhler's denial of an ex-terrorist's clemency plea.

Clemency Decision Coming

German President Köhler will decide whether to pardon RAF terrorist Christian Klar next week.

RAF Clues Ignored?

The son of a man shot by terrorists in 1977 uncovers witness testimony suggesting a female killer.

The campaign of terror carried out thirty years ago in Germany by the Red Army Faction , the RAF is still the subject of legal battles

There are new investigations underway to find out who really pulled the trigger in the murder of then- federal prosecuter Siegfried Buback. New allegations indicate that the wrong man has been in jail all these years.

Murder Probe Reopended

German authorities are reopening a probe into a high-profile murder by terrorists 30 years ago.