Jan-Carl Raspe (24 July 1944 – 18 October 1977) was a member of the German

far-left Far-left politics, also known as extreme left politics or left-wing extremism, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single, coherent definition; some ...

terrorist group the

Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (, ; RAF ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...

(RAF). He was involved in five bomb attacks with four fatalities, was arrested in 1972 and committed suicide in custody in 1977.

Early life

Raspe was born in

Seefeld in Tirol Seefeld in Tirol is an old farming village, now a major tourist resort, in Innsbruck-Land District in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol with a local population of 3,312 (as of 1 January 2013). The village is located about northwest of Inn ...

(then Germany, now Austria). He was described as gentle but had difficulty communicating with other people. His father, a businessman, died before his birth and Raspe and his two older sisters were raised by his mother and two aunts. Although living in

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

, he went to

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

when the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

was built in 1961, and stayed there, living with his uncle and aunt. He co-founded

Kommune II Kommune may refer to: * The term for municipality (commune) in Germany, Norway or Denmark (and, similarly, a ''kommun'' in Sweden and Finland, and ''kommuna'' in the Faroe Islands) * An intentional community ** Kommune 1 See also * * Kommuna ( ...

in 1967 and joined the

, also known as the "Baader-Meinhof Group", in 1970.

Militancy

Raspe had technical skills, and is believed to have made the bombs for the . In that year, Raspe was involved in five bomb attacks that killed four people and injured over 50. On 1 June 1972, Raspe along with

Andreas Baader Berndt Andreas Baader (6 May 1943 – 18 October 1977) was a West German communist and leader of the far-left terrorist organization Red Army Faction (RAF), also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Group. Life Andreas Baader was born in Mu ...

and

Holger Meins Holger Klaus Meins (26 October 1941 – 9 November 1974) was a German cinematography student who joined the Red Army Faction (RAF) in the early 1970s and died on hunger strike in prison. As a revolutionary Meins became an important member of th ...

had gone to check on a garage in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

where they had been storing materials used to make incendiary devices. Raspe had gone along as the driver (they were driving a

Porsche Targa The Porsche 911 model series (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in ) is a family of German two-door, high performance rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Now in its eighth generation, all 911 ...

). However, as soon as they arrived at the garage, police began to swarm around the scene. Meins and Baader had already entered the garage and were surrounded but Raspe, who had remained by the car, fired a shot from his gun and tried to run away when he was rushed by police, but to no avail; he was caught and arrested in a nearby garden. Meins and Baader were arrested soon after. Raspe was convicted on 28 April 1977 and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 18 October 1977, Raspe was found with a

gunshot wound A gunshot wound (GSW) is a penetrating injury caused by a projectile (e.g. a bullet) shot from a gun (typically a firearm). Damage may include bleeding, bone fractures, organ damage, wound infection, and loss of the ability to move part of ...

in his cell in

Stammheim Prison Stuttgart Correctional Facility (), also known as Stuttgart Prison or Stammheim Prison, is located in the Stuttgart district of Stammheim, the northernmost district of the state capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the largest of a total ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

. He died shortly after being admitted to a hospital. Fellow RAF members and inmates, Baader and

Gudrun Ensslin Gudrun Ensslin (; 15 August 1940 – 18 October 1977) was a German far-left terrorist and founder of the West German far-left militant group Red Army Faction (, or RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang). After becoming involved with co-fou ...

, were found dead in their cells the same morning.

Irmgard Möller Irmgard Maria Elisabeth Möller (born 13 May 1947) is a German former militant. She joined the far-left terrorist group Red Army Faction (RAF) in 1971. After participating in two bombings, she was arrested the following year. During the German A ...

was found in her cell, wounded after supposedly stabbing herself in the chest, but survived. The official inquiry concluded that this was a collective suicide, but again alternative theories abounded.

Commando Jan Raspe

The

created in 1984 the "Commando Jan Raspe" in solidarity and remembrance of him. The commando parked a car loaded with explosives in front of the

NATO School The NATO School Oberammergau in southern Germany is NATO's key training facility on the operational level. The School started with two courses in 1953 and now offers over 100 different courses to Alliance members and partners on subjects relate ...

Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...

. The cadres for NATO's integrated staff were trained there. The car was noticed and the bomb was defused. RAF said the aim of the action was to eliminate the military there. * Members of the RAF

References

External links

The Stammheim Deaths
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raspe, Jan-Carl 1944 births 1977 deaths 1977 suicides People from Innsbruck-Land District Members of the Red Army Faction Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund members German prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Suicides by firearm in Germany People convicted on terrorism charges Prisoners who died in German detention German people who died in prison custody People who died by suicide in prison custody Suicides in West Germany