Siegfried Hausner (24 January 1952 – 5 May 1975) was a student member of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Socialist Patients' Collective The Socialist Patients' Collective (German: ''Sozialistisches Patientenkollektiv'', and known as the SPK) is a patients' collective founded in Heidelberg, West Germany, in February 1970, by Wolfgang Huber (born 1935). The kernel of the SPK's ideol ...

who was sentenced to three years imprisonment in 1972 for terrorist related crimes. When he was released in 1974, like many other former members of the SPK, he joined the

Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (RAF, ; , ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang (, , active 1970–1998), was a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970. The ...

Stockholm Embassy siege

In 1975 Hausner was handpicked by Siegfried Haag to lead the group, known as Kommando Holger Meins who conducted the

West German Embassy siege The West German Embassy siege in Stockholm, Sweden, was a hostage standoff initiated by the Red Army Faction (RAF) on 24 April 1975. Collectively, the attackers referred to themselves as Kommando Holger Meins, after Holger Meins, an RAF member w ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

to force the release of 26 of his RAF comrades. Hausner was in charge of the wiring of the explosives. Twelve hours into the occupation, the explosives (15 kilogrammes of

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

) were apparently accidentally detonated. In the documentary film ''Stockholm 75'', fellow Kommando Holger Meins member

Karl-Heinz Dellwo The Red Army Faction (RAF) existed in West Germany from 1970 to 1998, committing numerous crimes, especially in the autumn of 1977, which led to a national crisis that became known as the "German Autumn". The RAF was founded in 1970 by Andreas ...

discussed the explosion and explained that only he and Siegfried Hausner were in a position near the detonator to trigger it and that he did not know why it exploded, only that he didn't activate it. While fellow Kommando Holger Meins member

Ulrich Wessel The Red Army Faction (RAF) existed in West Germany from 1970 to 1998, committing numerous crimes, especially in the autumn of 1977, which led to a national crisis that became known as the "German Autumn". The RAF was founded in 1970 by Andreas ...

was killed instantly (the explosion causing him to drop a hand grenade), Hausner was severely wounded in the explosion, with burns to over 40% of his body and a fractured skull. Despite the recommendations of Swedish doctors, Hausner was immediately flown back to

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and hospitalized in Stammheim Prison, which had neither the equipment or specialist staff to treat severe burns. According to deputy chief prison officer Horst Bubeck, Hausner had "no chance of surviving, as the doctors saw immediately". He died on 5 May from a

Pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive edema, liquid accumulation in the parenchyma, tissue and pulmonary alveolus, air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia an ...

. His hurried relocation to Germany, the quality of treatment he received at Stammheim, and his subsequent death led many to blame both the

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

government for killing him and the Swedish government for agreeing to his deportation despite being severely injured.

Legacy

After his death, Siegfried Hausner became a martyr to the cause (along with other late terrorists, such as

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 t ...

and Petra Schelm). When

Siegfried Buback Siegfried Buback (3 January 1920, Wilsdruff, Saxony – 7 April 1977, Karlsruhe) was the Attorney General of West Germany from 1974 until his murder in 1977. Life and career Buback studied at the University of Leipzig. From 1940 to 1945, he w ...

was assassinated in April 1977, the RAF claimed responsibility in honor of Ulrike Meinhof and Siegfried Hausner. In the final video recording of kidnapped

Hanns Martin Schleyer Hans "Hanns" Martin Schleyer (; 1 May 1915 – 18 October 1977) was a German business executive, and employer and industry representative, who served as President of two powerful commercial organizations, the Confederation of German Employers' A ...

made before his murder by the RAF in October 1977, Schleyer is seen holding a placard that read, “Commando Siegfried Hausner.” The terrorist group involved in

Operation Leo Operation Leo was a plan to kidnap the Swedish Minister for Immigration, Anna-Greta Leijon, in 1977. The plan was devised by the second generation of the German Red Army Faction. Origins The first generation of the group was also known as t ...

planned to rename their unit "Commando Siegfried Hausner" in honour of the deceased extremist before their plot failed. Some believe that the assassination of Sweden's prime minister

Olof Palme Sven Olof Joachim Palme (; ; 30 January 1927 – 28 February 1986) was a Swedish politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1969 to 1976 and 1982 to 1986. Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until h ...

on 28 February 1986 was in retaliation for his allowing Hausner to be deported.

Sources

Books: * Hitler's Children by

Jillian Becker Jillian Becker (born 2 June 1932) is a South African-born British author, journalist, and lecturer. She specialises in research about terrorism, having written '' Hitler's Children: The Story of the Baader-Meinhof Terrorist Gang'' (1977), amo ...

The Baader Meinhof Complex ''The Baader Meinhof Complex'' (german: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, ) is a 2008 German drama film directed by Uli Edel. Written and produced by Bernd Eichinger, it stars Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, and Johanna Wokalek. The film is based ...

Stefan Aust Stefan Aust (; born 1 July 1946) is a German journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of the weekly news magazine ''Der Spiegel'' from 1994 to February 2008 and has been the publisher of the conservative leading ''Die Welt'' newspaper since 2014 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hausner, Siegfried 1952 births 1975 deaths People from Wunsiedel (district) Members of the Red Army Faction Members of the Socialist Patients' Collective Prisoners who died in German detention Deaths by hand grenade German people who died in prison custody