Johannes Weinrich
Encyclopedia
Johannes Weinrich is a German left-wing political militant. Weinrich was a founder of the Revolutionary Cells (RZ) and later became a close aide to Carlos the Jackal
. He is currently serving a life sentence for murder.
with an RPG-7
. He was imprisoned for providing the cars used in the attack, but was released on probation for health reasons eight months into his sentence and became a fugitive. In the late 1970s he introduced Carlos to Magdalena Kopp, at the time Weinrich's girlfriend, who Carlos would marry in 1979.
and extradited to Germany
. At the time he was carrying a Somali passport identifying him as John Saleh. He faced trial for the 1975 bazooka attacks on El Al
flights, 1981 bombing of Radio Free Europe
in Munich, 1983 attack on the Saudi Ambassador to Greece
, and the bombing of the French cultural center the same year. He was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to life in imprisonment.
.
Carlos the Jackal
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez , better known as Carlos the Jackal, is a Venezuelan pro-Palestinian currently serving a life sentence in France for shooting to death two French secret agents and a Lebanese informer in 1975....
. He is currently serving a life sentence for murder.
Early life
Weinrich attended the University of Frankfurt, where he was a radical student leader and owned a bookstore.Career
Weinrich is thought to have managed Carlos' operations in Europe during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1975 Weinrich and Carlos unsuccessfully attempted to hit an Israeli airplane at Orly AirportOrly Airport
Paris-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
with an RPG-7
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
. He was imprisoned for providing the cars used in the attack, but was released on probation for health reasons eight months into his sentence and became a fugitive. In the late 1970s he introduced Carlos to Magdalena Kopp, at the time Weinrich's girlfriend, who Carlos would marry in 1979.
Extradition and conviction
On June 1, 1995, Weinrich was arrested in YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and extradited to Germany
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...
. At the time he was carrying a Somali passport identifying him as John Saleh. He faced trial for the 1975 bazooka attacks on El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
flights, 1981 bombing of Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
in Munich, 1983 attack on the Saudi Ambassador to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and the bombing of the French cultural center the same year. He was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to life in imprisonment.
Popular culture
Weinrich is portrayed by Alexander Scheer in the 2010 French-German television mini-series CarlosCarlos (TV miniseries)
Carlos is a 3-part French television drama mini-series, first broadcast on Canal+ in 2010. Produced by Film En Stock's Daniel Leconte in coproduction with Jens Meuer in association with Canal +, Studio Canal, ARTE, the Sundance Channel, it was created by Daniel Leconte and written by Dan Franck and...
.