RAF Players?

Once upon a time.....Germany was set ablaze by the Red Army Faction (RAF).

From 1970 until mid-1980s....West Germany faced almost a routine of RAF violence.  Around 1998, a public statement came out by the RAF that they were finished.  They felt that the nation had modified itself and become what they had intended back in the 1970s.  Well, that's the statement made....in truth, without DDR support, they were almost to the point of non-existence.

If you go and talk to any German over the age of fifty....they remember the period of the 1970s, the bombs, the murders, etc.  The curious thing is that they were able to conduct an act....then quietly disappear into an urban zone, and it was next to impossible to find them.

So, I bring this up....because back about seven months ago.....6 June 2015 to be correct....there was an attempted robbery of a an armored bank vehicle up in Bremen (near Stuhr).  Three masked bandits approached the vehicle....fired rounds....failed in their attempt to take the vehicle....and got away.  Cops would eventually find the getaway vehicles and do a DNA sample.

Curiously, the folks from the car are Daniela Klette, Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg.  All former RAF members and wanted by the German federal cops for well over 25 years.

Daniela, Volker and Burkhard were from the last generation of the RAF.  It's a interesting thing....the RAF would recruit folks....put them through a training phase (never in Germany)...then they've been participants in the operation for roughly five to ten years.  Most people say that burnout occurred for members, and that members would retire and walk away.  So, these represent the 4th and final generation of the party.

Where have they been?  Obviously since the 1990 period to now....twenty-six years have passed.  I'd take a guess that all three are 55 to 65 years old.

Why go after an armored car?  I'd take a guess that they've bumped into reality.  The DDR system probably helped them with some assumed identity but after the wall went down....they had to be part of the new Germany, and this meant....you had to work.  Well, after they take 50-percent of your salary for taxes, social pension and healthcare.....there's only a limited amount of money for life itself.  I suspect that the three sit there now....living marginal lives and would like to hit on some bank or armored car situation and get some retirement situation.  How much would an armored car have?  Maybe 100,000 Euro....maybe 200,000 Euro.

It is a comical way for these three old RAF players to be standing at this point in life.  No great pension, fake ID to exist off, waiting for some idiot to ID them, always worrying about some Stassi file getting out in the open and approaching older age.  Now, resorting to robbing armored cars to fix their problems.