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

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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. The kernel of the SPK's ideological prog ...

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 ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...

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, a RAF member w ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

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 Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

) were apparently accidentally detonated. In the documentary film ''Stockholm 75'', fellow Kommando Holger Meins member Karl-Heinz Dellwo 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 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 was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

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 (British English: oedema), also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive fluid accumulation in the tissue or air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. This leads to impaired gas exchange, most often leading to shortness ...

. 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 was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

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 and Petra Schelm). When Siegfried Buback 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, employer and industry representative, Schutzstaffel, Nazi SS officer, and Lobbying, lobbyist. He served as president of two powerful commercial org ...

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 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 as ...

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, who specialises in research about terrorism. Her work includes ''Hitler's Children: The Story of the Baader-Meinhof Terrorist Gang'' (1977). E ...

The Baader Meinhof Complex ''The Baader Meinhof Complex'' ( ) 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 on the 1985 German best selling non- ...

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

{{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