Angelika Speitel
Encyclopedia
Angelika Speitel is a former member of the West German terrorist Red Army Faction
.
, alongside her husband Volker Speitel (who was also an RAF terrorist). During this time she helped form an information system of communication between many imprisoned terrorists across Germany. Volker went underground in 1974, and Angelika followed suit when she was suspected of involvement in the Jurgen Ponto
murder in 1977.
She became an active member of the second generation RAF, taking part in bank robberies and was suspected to have been directly involved with the Hanns-Martin Schleyer kidnap-murder
.
In a forest in Dortmund
, on 24 September 1978, Speitel was involved in target practice with some other RAF members (Michael Knoll and Werner Lotze) when they were ambushed by police. A shoot-out followed where one policeman (Hans-Wilhelm Hans) was shot dead, and Speitel and Knoll were both shot down and arrested. Lotze managed to escape, and Knoll later died of his injuries.
by a Düsseldorf
court. During her incarceration she attempted suicide by hanging
and cutting her wrists, but she survived. In 1989, she was pardoned by Federal
President
Richard von Weizsäcker
, and released from prison.
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
.
Life
Speitel worked as a clerk in the office of lawyer Klaus CroissantKlaus Croissant
Klaus Croissant was a lawyer of the Red Army Faction, an East German spy and a political activist for Berlin's Alternative Liste and after 1990 the PDS....
, alongside her husband Volker Speitel (who was also an RAF terrorist). During this time she helped form an information system of communication between many imprisoned terrorists across Germany. Volker went underground in 1974, and Angelika followed suit when she was suspected of involvement in the Jurgen Ponto
Jürgen Ponto
Jürgen Ponto, was a German banker and chairman of the Dresdner Bank board of directors. Previously, he had worked as a lawyer...
murder in 1977.
She became an active member of the second generation RAF, taking part in bank robberies and was suspected to have been directly involved with the Hanns-Martin Schleyer kidnap-murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
.
In a forest in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, on 24 September 1978, Speitel was involved in target practice with some other RAF members (Michael Knoll and Werner Lotze) when they were ambushed by police. A shoot-out followed where one policeman (Hans-Wilhelm Hans) was shot dead, and Speitel and Knoll were both shot down and arrested. Lotze managed to escape, and Knoll later died of his injuries.
Imprisonment and release
Subsequently, Speitel was charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonmentLife imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
by a Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
court. During her incarceration she attempted suicide by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
and cutting her wrists, but she survived. In 1989, she was pardoned by Federal
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Richard von Weizsäcker
Richard von Weizsäcker
Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker , known as Richard von Weizsäcker, is a German politician . He served as Governing Mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984, and as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1984 to 1994...
, and released from prison.