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Hamburg's fire plan: solidarity with the RAF or a serious mistake?
Two Hamburg residents are planning an arson attack in Verden in solidarity with former RAF terrorists; Verdict expected on October 13th.
Hamburg's fire plan: solidarity with the RAF or a serious mistake?
On October 6, 2025, there will be an exciting trial before the Verden Regional Court that is arousing great public interest. Two men from Hamburg, aged 36 and 38, are suspected of planning an arson attack to show solidarity with former terrorists Red Army Faction (RAF) to demonstrate. The verdict is expected on October 13th, and the public prosecutor's office is demanding a suspended prison sentence of one year and four months for each defendant and the payment of 1,000 euros each.
The public prosecutor's office brought out the heavy artillery. The defendants confessed to having discussed an arrangement with an accomplice in 2018 while they were masked and carrying gasoline bottles in the city of Verden. Their stated goal was the former “Meyer Building”, into which the public prosecutor’s office has been planning to move since 2023. But the two men were discovered by a police patrol and their planned arson was prevented.
The background to the planned attack
A suspected letter of confession, which was found during searches of the defendant's apartments and a car, expresses solidarity with former RAF terrorists. The content ends with the words: “From a spark of solidarity to a spark of hope”. Despite the serious allegations, the defendants emphasize that they never intended to actually set a building on fire, but rather simply set fire to tires on the street to send a message against the persecution of the former RAF fighters.
The court is hearing proceedings in the context of a comprehensive trial against former RAF terrorists who are accused of 13 robberies between 1999 and 2016. These raids resulted in a stolen sum of 2.7 million euros, a huge amount that illustrates the scale of the RAF's criminal activities. The well-known case of the arrested Daniela Klette, who has been on trial in Berlin since February 2024, gives an idea of how far-reaching the issue remains in Germany.
The eternal shadow of the RAF
The Red Army Faction was a center of left-wing extremist terror in Germany from the 1970s until its self-dissolution in 1998. Originally founded in response to the Vietnam War, the RAF carried out numerous attacks, bank robberies and kidnappings that shaped the image of the Federal Republic of Germany in the world. Famous personalities such as Ulrike Meinhof and Andreas Baader were among its leading figures and continue to symbolize this violent protest movement to this day.
The current negotiations in Verden, which will last until mid-November, underline the continued relevance of the RAF and its ideology in German society, even if the group itself has not been active for over two decades. It remains to be seen whether the allegations made will prove to be serious enough for the two Hamburg men to put them behind bars. The tension before the verdict is literally palpable.
If convicted, suspended sentences could also be imposed under certain conditions, which shows how complex the legal assessment of such cases is. A third defendant who failed to appear in court is also in focus and could also face fines or remand.
The trial is an example of the examination of recent German history and raises questions about how to deal with extremist ideologies and their aftereffects. A topic that will be discussed in Cologne and beyond for a long time.