Dispute between police unions over operations against former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette

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Former RAF terrorist Klette

Photo: Uli Deck / dpa

Public dispute among colleagues: Criticism by the Berlin Police Union (GdP) of the actions of the police from Lower Saxony in the arrest of the former RAF terrorist Daniela Klette has caused anger.

All efforts must be made to catch the terrorists, secondary theaters of war are "more than counterproductive," said the German Police Union and the Association of German Criminal Officers in Lower Saxony on Monday, responding to the critical voice of the rival union.

It is “unspeakable” and “unprofessional” if individuals in an ongoing procedure think that they “have to question and criticize the actions of their colleagues,” according to the German Police Union and the Association of German Criminal Investigators in Lower Saxony.

A critical review of the operation will “take place promptly and, above all, internally.”

The Berlin GdP had previously criticized its colleagues in Lower Saxony in an unusually harsh manner and accused them of wanting to raise their profile.

Accordingly, the LKA Lower Saxony, which is in charge, must examine the operation on February 26th self-critically: "In view of everything that was found on Ms. Klette, it is pure luck that she did not wait behind the door with the bazooka and that none of our colleagues were injured ." There are capable special units in the capital for such arrests, according to the GdP.

Klette is said to have been allowed to use the toilet in her apartment by the LKA investigators from Lower Saxony.

She sent a message to her former accomplice Burkhard Garweg and then threw the SIM card into the toilet.

Garweg's cell phone is said to have no longer been used after that.

Klette is now in custody, and Garweg is being searched for with current photos.

Klette, Garweg and the third wanted ex-RAF terrorist Ernst-Volker Staub went into hiding more than 30 years ago.

All three belonged to the so-called third generation of the left-wing extremist terrorist organization Red Army Faction, which carried out numerous attacks and killed people until 1991.

dop/dpa