Karl-Heinz Kurras
Encyclopedia
Karl-Heinz Kurras is a former German police officer who served in the police force of West Berlin
, and a former agent of the East German
secret service Stasi
.
Kurras became known for shooting and killing the unarmed student Benno Ohnesorg
during a demonstration on June 2, 1967 outside Deutsche Oper against the state visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
, the Shah
of Iran
. Kurras was subsequently acquitted of any wrongdoing in a controversial trial, and thus became even more of a hate figure for the radical left. The incident is considered pivotal for the rise of leftist radicalism and violence in Germany in the 1970s, culminating for instance in the formation of the Movement 2 June
and the Red Army Faction
.
In May 2009, it was revealed that Kurras was an agent of the East German
secret service, the Stasi
, as well as a long-time member of the East German communist party
, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
. He had approached the East German communist regime in 1955, offering his services and expressing the wish to defect. He was convinced to remain in West Berlin and was recruited as an agent for the Stasi. He became a member of the East German communist party in 1964. As a spy, he handed over confidential information from the West Berlin police to the East German authorities. There is no evidence however of a link between the shooting of Ohnessorg and Kurras' spy activity . Due to the great attention the case was receiving, the Stasi essentially discontinued its cooperation with Kurras after the incident.
After the Ohnesorg incident, Kurras was suspended for four years, during which he worked in private security. In 1971 he rejoined the police force and was subsequently promoted to Kriminaloberkommissar (Detective Chief Inspector). He retired from the service in 1987. In an interview in 2007, he defended his actions in 1967 and blamed Ohnesorg for attacking him, stating that "anyone who attacks me is crushed" ("Wer mich angreift, wird vernichtet. Aus. Feierabend. So ist das zu sehen.") Commenting on the 2009 exposure of his Stasi and communist past, he stated that he was not ashamed of having been a member of the East German communist party.
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, and a former agent of the East German
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
secret service Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
.
Kurras became known for shooting and killing the unarmed student Benno Ohnesorg
Benno Ohnesorg
Benno Ohnesorg was a German university student killed by a policeman during a demonstration in West Berlin.- Death :On June 2, 1967, Ohnesorg participated in a protest held near the Deutsche Oper, aimed against the state visit of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was attending a...
during a demonstration on June 2, 1967 outside Deutsche Oper against the state visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
, the Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Kurras was subsequently acquitted of any wrongdoing in a controversial trial, and thus became even more of a hate figure for the radical left. The incident is considered pivotal for the rise of leftist radicalism and violence in Germany in the 1970s, culminating for instance in the formation of the Movement 2 June
Movement 2 June
Movement 2 June was a West German terrorist organization that was based out of West Berlin. Active only from 1971–1980, the anarchist group was one of the few violent groups at the time in West Germany. Although Movement 2 June did not share the same ideology as the Red Army Faction , these...
and 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...
.
In May 2009, it was revealed that Kurras was an agent of the East German
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
secret service, the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
, as well as a long-time member of the East German communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
. He had approached the East German communist regime in 1955, offering his services and expressing the wish to defect. He was convinced to remain in West Berlin and was recruited as an agent for the Stasi. He became a member of the East German communist party in 1964. As a spy, he handed over confidential information from the West Berlin police to the East German authorities. There is no evidence however of a link between the shooting of Ohnessorg and Kurras' spy activity . Due to the great attention the case was receiving, the Stasi essentially discontinued its cooperation with Kurras after the incident.
After the Ohnesorg incident, Kurras was suspended for four years, during which he worked in private security. In 1971 he rejoined the police force and was subsequently promoted to Kriminaloberkommissar (Detective Chief Inspector). He retired from the service in 1987. In an interview in 2007, he defended his actions in 1967 and blamed Ohnesorg for attacking him, stating that "anyone who attacks me is crushed" ("Wer mich angreift, wird vernichtet. Aus. Feierabend. So ist das zu sehen.") Commenting on the 2009 exposure of his Stasi and communist past, he stated that he was not ashamed of having been a member of the East German communist party.