1991 United States embassy sniper attack in Bonn
| 1991 United States embassy sniper attack in Bonn | |
|---|---|
 The former embassy in Bonn, pictured in 1990 | |
| Location | Bonn, Germany |
| Date | 13 February 1991 (UTC+01:00) |
| Weapon | G1 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrator | Red Army Faction |
On 13 February 1991, three members of the Red Army Faction (RAF) fired about 250 rounds using a military rifle at the United States embassy in Bonn, Germany.[1]
The suspects fired at the embassy from a distance of about 500 metres[2] from Villa Von-Weiß-Straße 8, located across the Rhine river in Königswinter. The incident was linked to the ongoing Gulf War. In a note left at the scene, the RAF said the attack was done to combat American imperialism and to get it out of Iraq.[3] The attackers escaped their positions in a stolen Volkswagen Passat car and were never caught. The embassy received some bullet holes and broken windows, but no major damage was caused.[4]
The same G1 rifle was used by the RAF in the killing of Detlev Karsten Rohwedder afterwards.[5]
In October 2001, new DNA tests of a hair left in the passenger seat of the Passat revealed that Daniela Klette may have been one of the suspects.[6] Klette is an RAF member who was already suspected in other attacks, such as the prison bombing in Weiterstadt in 1993.[7] Klette remained at large until her arrest in 2024 [8] and nobody else has ever been convicted for the attack.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ AP. "German Economic Aide Slain; Red Army Faction Suspected". Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ Germany, programm.ARD.de – ARD Play-Out-Center Potsdam, Potsdam. "Rätsel RAF-Terror". programm.ARD.de. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gohr, Andreas. "Rote Armee Fraktion Infopage". www.rafinfo.de (in German). Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ JONES, TAMARA (14 February 1991). "U.S. Embassy in Bonn Is Sprayed With Bullets by Left-Wing Group : Terrorism: Shots fired across Rhine cause no injuries. A letter links the attack to the war". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "40 Jahre RAF – Die Suche nach der bleiernen Zeit". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). 4 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ Mascolo, Georg (14 January 2002). "ATTENTATE: Verräterisches Frauenhaar". Der Spiegel. Vol. 3. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "Dutch police say surviving Red Army Faction members still active". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "German police arrest Red Army Faction suspect Daniela Klette". DW.com. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- 1991 in international relations
- February 1991 events in Germany
- Attacks on diplomatic missions of the United States
- Terrorist incidents in Germany in 1991
- Red Army Faction
- Germany–United States relations
- Non-fatal shootings
- Gulf War
- 20th century in Bonn
- Attacks on government buildings and structures in Germany
- Attacks on buildings and structures in 1991
- Communist terrorist incidents