Irmgard Möller
Encyclopedia
Irmgard Möller (born May 13, 1947, Bielefeld
, North Rhine-Westphalia
) is a German
militant
and a former member of the Red Army Faction
(RAF). Her father was a high school
teacher
and before joining the RAF, she was a student of German studies
.
by stabbing herself in the chest on the morning of October 18, 1977. Of the imprisoned RAF leaders, only Möller survived what is widely assumed (following extensive inquiries) to have been the result of a suicide pact by the group. The other Red Army members Andreas Baader
, Gudrun Ensslin
and Jan-Carl Raspe
died by gunshot or hanging. With the successful Mogadishu raid there was no more chance to escape jail. During the height of the German Autumn
the nature of these suicides was believed by supporters and sympathizers to be suspicious given their location in a maximum security prison; Möller herself has always maintained that she did not attempt suicide and that there was no pre-arranged suicide pact between the prisoners.
Möller was released from prison in 1995. Today she lives in anonymity.
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
) is a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
and a former member of 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...
(RAF). Her father was a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and before joining the RAF, she was a student of German studies
German studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the...
.
RAF Activity
- On 12 May 1972, Möller and Angela Luther walked into police headquartersPolice stationA police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
in AugsburgAugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
carrying suitcases. They placed pipe bombPipe bombA pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
s in empty offices on the 3rd and 4th floors and walked out again. The subsequent explosions (around 12:15pm12-hour clockThe 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
) injured five policemen and collapsed the fourth floor ceiling.
- On 24 May of the same year it is thought that Möller was one of two people who drove cars full of explosives into the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Military IntelligenceMilitary intelligenceMilitary intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
Headquarters (G-2), (HQ USAREUR), at Campbell BarracksCampbell BarracksCampbell Barracks, in Heidelberg, Germany, is the location of the Headquarters of the United States Army in Europe and Seventh Army Campbell Barracks, in Heidelberg, Germany, is the location of the Headquarters of the United States Army in Europe and Seventh Army Campbell Barracks, in Heidelberg,...
in HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. Three soldiers were killed in the attack (Ronald Woodward, Charles Peck and Captain Clyde Bonner) and five were wounded.
- Möller was set up by fellow Red Army Faction member Hans-Peter Konieczny and was arrested on 9 July 1972 and was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy prison term by a 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...
court. She was then transferred to Stammheim PrisonStammheim PrisonStammheim Prison is a prison in Stuttgart, Baden Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the northern boundaries of Stuttgart in the city district of Stuttgart-Stammheim — right between fields and apartment blocks on the fringes of Stammheim...
.
Imprisonment and suicide attempt
According to prison reports, she attempted suicideSuicide
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...
by stabbing herself in the chest on the morning of October 18, 1977. Of the imprisoned RAF leaders, only Möller survived what is widely assumed (following extensive inquiries) to have been the result of a suicide pact by the group. The other Red Army members 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 :...
, 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 Jan-Carl Raspe
Jan-Carl Raspe
Jan-Carl Raspe was a member of the German militant group, the Red Army Faction.- Young life :Raspe was born in Seefeld in Tirol. He was described as gentle but had difficulty communicating with other people. His father had said that he couldn't stand violence...
died by gunshot or hanging. With the successful Mogadishu raid there was no more chance to escape jail. During the height of the German Autumn
German Autumn
The German Autumn was a set of events in late 1977, associated with the kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hanns-Martin Schleyer, President of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations and the Federation of German Industries , by the Red Army Faction , and the hijacking of the...
the nature of these suicides was believed by supporters and sympathizers to be suspicious given their location in a maximum security prison; Möller herself has always maintained that she did not attempt suicide and that there was no pre-arranged suicide pact between the prisoners.
Möller was released from prison in 1995. Today she lives in anonymity.