German security authorities are employing cutting-edge DNA technology in their search for the undiscovered perpetrators of the Red Army Faction (RAF), targeting two of the most prominent acts of post-war German violence. According to a report by “Bild am Sonntag”, all evidence collected from the assassinations of employer president Hanns Martin Schleyer in 1977 and trade agency head Detlev Karsten Rohwedder in 1991 is undergoing a comprehensive forensic re-evaluation. Investigators hope that refined analytical methods will yield new and decisive traces of the perpetrators.
A particular focus is being placed on hair samples secured at the time of the incidents, which are now being subjected to highly sensitive and novel DNA screenings. Thanks to tremendous technological progress in molecular biological analysis, forensic experts are now able to retrieve usable genetic profiles even from minimal residue, such as individual skin flakes or so-called “touch DNA.”
Furthermore, security sources indicate that the investigation has gained new momentum following the 2024 arrest of the suspected RAF terrorist, Daniela Klette, in Berlin. New evidence was secured from her apartment, and these recent findings are currently being analyzed in the lab for biological traces and potential links to the historical crime scenes.
