Peter-Jürgen Boock
Encyclopedia
Peter-Jürgen Boock is a former member of the Red Army Faction
.
, Boock began training as a mechanic
but soon quit. Claiming that his father was a staunch Nazi, Boock then left his parents’ home and travelled to the Netherlands
. He became involved with illegal drugs, and was arrested for possession
. Soon after this he attempted suicide
. He spent the next few years in rehabilitation
programmes and living in re-education homes, and came in contact with Gudrun Ensslin
and Andreas Baader
. He wanted to join the Red Army Faction
but was deemed too young. He moved to Frankfurt am Main and continued abusing drugs. In 1973, he married Waltraud Liewald (who would also later become an RAF militant).
taking and hijacking). He became an involved member of the second generation Red Army Faction.
. He played down his role within the RAF, though was sentenced to life imprisonment
terms for his involvement in the Ponto and Schleyer murders. In 1992 he admitted his full involvement in certain RAF activities, such as the Schleyer murder.
He was freed from prison on 13 March 1998 and now works as a freelance writer
near Freiburg
.
In 2007, he accused Stefan Wisniewski
of the murder of Siegfried Buback
.
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...
.
Earlier life
After completing secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, Boock began training as a mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
but soon quit. Claiming that his father was a staunch Nazi, Boock then left his parents’ home and travelled to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He became involved with illegal drugs, and was arrested for possession
Drug possession
Drug possession is the crime of having one or more illegal drugs in one's possession, either for personal use, distribution, sale or otherwise. Illegal drugs fall into different categories and sentences vary depending on the amount, type of drug, circumstances, and jurisdiction.A person has...
. Soon after this he attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. He spent the next few years in rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
programmes and living in re-education homes, and came in contact with Gudrun Ensslin
Gudrun Ensslin
Gudrun Ensslin was a founder of the German militant group Red Army Faction . After becoming involved with co-founder Andreas Baader, Ensslin was influential in the politicization of Baader's voluntaristic anarchistic beliefs. Ensslin was perhaps the intellectual head of the RAF...
and Andreas Baader
Andreas Baader
Andreas Bernd Baader was one of the first leaders of the German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction, also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang.- Life :...
. He wanted to join the Red Army Faction
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...
but was deemed too young. He moved to Frankfurt am Main and continued abusing drugs. In 1973, he married Waltraud Liewald (who would also later become an RAF militant).
Terrorism
At some point between 1975 and 1976, Boock joined the RAF and went underground. He travelled to Southern Yemen, where he received terrorist training (including hostageHostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
taking and hijacking). He became an involved member of the second generation Red Army Faction.
- In July 1977 he was the getaway driver in the plot to kidnap Jürgen PontoJürgen PontoJürgen Ponto, was a German banker and chairman of the Dresdner Bank board of directors. Previously, he had worked as a lawyer...
. The plot fell through however, and Ponto was murdered. - In August 1977, Boock constructed a rocket launcherMultiple rocket launcherA multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
called the Stalin Organ, which was capable of firing primitive missiles. He trained the weapon on the offices of the Federal ProsecuterAttorney General of GermanyThe Attorney General of Germany is the federal prosecutor of Germany, representing the federal government at the Bundesgerichtshof, the federal court of justice. The office of the Attorney General is located in Karlsruhe. Besides its role in appellate cases, the Attorney General has primary...
. The launcher didn't work, and Boock claimed that he had a change of heart at the last minute and deliberately sabotaged the weapon himself. - In September 1977, Boock was involved in the kidnap-murderMurderMurder 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...
of Hanns-Martin Schleyer, and was one the RAF kidnappers who opened fire on Schleyer’s car. - In 1978 he was arrested in YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, with Brigitte MohnhauptBrigitte MohnhauptBrigitte Margret Ida Mohnhaupt is a German militant associated with the second generation of the Red Army Faction members. She was also part of the Socialist Patients' Collective...
, Sieglinde HofmannSieglinde HofmannSieglinde Hofmann was a militant and member of both the Socialist Patients' Collective and the Red Army Faction.-Biography:...
and Rolf Clemens WagnerRolf Clemens WagnerRolf Clemens Wagner is a former member of the Red Army Faction .-Terrorism:Wagner carried out most of his terrorists actions in the 70s, and became an active member of the second generation RAF...
. They were later freed and flown to a country of their choice because West Germany turned down an offer from Yugoslavia to extradite them in exchange for eight Croatian political fugitives in West Germany.
Arrest and Imprisonment
Boock distanced himself from the RAF in 1980. However in 1981 he was arrested in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. He played down his role within the RAF, though was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life 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...
terms for his involvement in the Ponto and Schleyer murders. In 1992 he admitted his full involvement in certain RAF activities, such as the Schleyer murder.
He was freed from prison on 13 March 1998 and now works as a freelance writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
near Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
.
In 2007, he accused Stefan Wisniewski
Stefan Wisniewski
Stefan Wisniewski is a former member of the Red Army Faction .- Early life :Wisniewski was born in 1953 in Klosterreichenbach, a part of Baiersbronn, Baden-Württemberg, in the Black Forest...
of the murder of Siegfried Buback
Siegfried Buback
Siegfried Buback was the Attorney General of Germany from 1974-1977.Buback studied at the University of Leipzig. From 1940 to 1945 he was a member of the Nazi Party. From 1945 to 1947 he was a POW...
.