Magdalena Kopp
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Magdalena Cäcilia Kopp (2 April 1948 – 15 June 2015) was a photographer and member of the Frankfurt
Revolutionary Cells (RZ) The Revolutionary Cells (german: Revolutionäre Zellen, abbreviated RZ) were a self-described " urban guerrilla" organisation that was active between 1973 and 1995. The West German Interior Ministry described it as one of West Germany's most dang ...
. She was known for being the wife and accomplice of political militant
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (; born 12 October 1949), also known as Carlos the Jackal ( es, link=no, Carlos el Chacal) or simply Carlos, is a Venezuelan convicted of terrorist crimes, and currently serving a life sentence in France for the 1975 murder ...
also known as "Carlos the Jackal".


Early life

Magdalena Kopp grew up in
Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm (Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the capital of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 December ...
,Colin Smith - Carlos
retrieved 20 December 2010
and after leaving school trained as a photographer. In 1967 she moved to Frankfurt, and in the early 1970s was associated with the leftist student circles, living with friends in a shared flat. She worked for the publication ''Red Star'' and was one of the founders of the Frankfurt
Revolutionary Cells (RZ) The Revolutionary Cells (german: Revolutionäre Zellen, abbreviated RZ) were a self-described " urban guerrilla" organisation that was active between 1973 and 1995. The West German Interior Ministry described it as one of West Germany's most dang ...
. Members of this group, in addition to her new friend
Johannes Weinrich Johannes Weinrich (born 21 July 1947) is a German left-wing terrorist and a founder of the Revolutionary Cells (RZ). He later became a close aide to Carlos the Jackal. He is currently serving a life sentence for murder. Biography Early life ...
were
Hans-Joachim Klein Hans-Joachim Klein (; 21 December 1947 – 9 November 2022) was a German left-wing militant and a member of the Revolutionary Cells group. His '' nom de guerre'' was "Angie". In 1975, Klein participated in an attack on OPEC headquarters in Vie ...
,
Wilfried Böse Wilfried Bonifatius "Boni" Böse (7 February 1949, – 4 July 1976) was a founding member of the German organization Revolutionary Cells that was described in the early 1980s as one of Germany's most dangerous leftist terrorist groups by the ...
and
Brigitte Kuhlmann Brigitte Kuhlmann (1947–1976) was a founding member of the West German left-wing terrorist group '' Revolutionäre Zellen'' (RZ, or Revolutionary Cells in English). She was killed by the Israel Defense Forces in Entebbe, Uganda, during Operation ...
. They were involved in the attack on the OPEC conference in 1975 and in the hijacking of an Air France plane to Entebbe in 1976. Through Weinrich, she met his friend, the internationally wanted political militant/terrorist
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (; born 12 October 1949), also known as Carlos the Jackal ( es, link=no, Carlos el Chacal) or simply Carlos, is a Venezuelan convicted of terrorist crimes, and currently serving a life sentence in France for the 1975 murder ...
, known as Carlos. Later she moved to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and joined the command "Boudia" led by Carlos, who also became her lover. Soon she was working as part of his inner circle.


Arrest

On 16 February 1982, she was arrested in Paris together with Bruno Bréguet, a Swiss citizen who had served a prison sentence in Israel for possession of explosives. When a policeman noticed their Peugeot car was improperly parked and asked to see their papers, Bréguet attempted to shoot him, but had forgotten to release his pistol's safety catch and was overpowered. Kopp, who had bolted, was cornered a block away from the scene and surrendered. Five kilos of Penthrit (
pentaerythritol tetranitrate Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), also known as PENT, PENTA, (ПЕНТА, primarily in Russian) TEN, corpent, or penthrite (or, rarely and primarily in German, as nitropenta), is an explosive material. It is the nitrate ester of pentaerythr ...
) were found in the car, as well as false passports and other incriminating documents, including sketch plans of various locations. Under interrogation, it was established that they were planning to blow up the offices of the exiled Arabic political magazine ''Al Watan Al Arabi'' because it had annoyed Syria's President Hafez el-Assad, who had granted Kopp, Carlos and other terrorists asylum in Damascus.


Time in prison

On May 24, 1982, Kopp was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Boudia Command carried out several terrorist attacks to pressure the government for the release of Kopp and Breguet. Kopp was released on May 4, 1985 with a reduction of seven months of her sentence for good behavior but was deported to
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
where she was detained and questioned again, this time by German police. Subsequently she was set free and in less than a month she moved to Damascus, Syria where she met and reunited with Ilyich Ramirez (Carlos). In 1985 they were married.


Later life

On August 17, 1986 she gave birth to their daughter Elba Rosa Ramirez Kopp. She and Carlos lived quietly until 1990 when Syria, as an ally of
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, asked them to leave the country. They went to
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
, but it rejected their residency visa and they had to return to Syria, where they remained for a short time. Kopp and Carlos then decided to separate and she went to
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
with his mother while Carlos traveled to Sudan with a diplomatic passport. In
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, she lived in
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
for a few months until the Venezuelan press found out about her and then made ample references to her past, due to her association with Carlos. Kopp then took steps to return to
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and on finding that the government had no charges against her, returned home where she lived with her daughter and stayed out of politics. In 2007, she published her memoirs entitled ''Die Terrorjahre: Mein Leben an der Seite von Carlos'' (''The Years of Terror: My Life with Carlos''). She lived with her daughter in her hometown of
Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm (Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the capital of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 December ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
until her death on 15 June 2015.


Portrayal

Kopp is portrayed by Nora von Waldstätten in the 2010 French-German television mini-series ''Carlos''.


References


External links

*2007
Interview with Magdalena Kopp
(in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kopp, Magdalena 1948 births 2015 deaths People from Neu-Ulm Members of the Revolutionary Cells (German group) German people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of France People deported from France