Alfred Herrhausen
Alfred Herrhausen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Essen, Germany |
| Died | November 30, 1989 (aged 59) |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Known for | Chairman of Deutsche Bank; assassination by Red Army Faction |
Alfred Herrhausen (30 January 1930 – 30 November 1989) was a prominent German banker and served as Chairman of Deutsche Bank. Born in Essen, he became a member of Deutsche Bank's executive board in 1971. Herrhausen also acted as an advisor to Helmut Kohl, promoting the idea of a unified European economic framework and shaping policies related to developing nations. Additionally, he participated in the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group. In 1989, Herrhausen was assassinated when an explosively formed projectile breached his armored convoy. The radical left-wing group Red Army Faction claimed responsibility, though no convictions were made as charges were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Assassination
On 30 November 1989, Herrhausen was fatally wounded by an advanced roadside explosive shortly after departing from his residence in Bad Homburg. He was traveling in an armored Mercedes-Benz accompanied by bodyguards positioned in both leading and trailing vehicles. The device, weighing approximately 7 kilograms, was hidden inside a bicycle bag placed along his usual route—a location previously overlooked by security because the bag had remained there without posing any threat. The bomb was triggered by an infrared beam activated as Herrhausen’s vehicle passed by, targeting the door adjacent to his seat. Utilizing a Misnay–Schardin mechanism, a copper plate was propelled at nearly 2,000 meters per second, penetrating the vehicle’s armor and delivering fatal injuries. The Red Army Faction publicly accepted responsibility for this attack.
Aftermath
No individual has ever been formally charged with Herrhausen’s assassination. Up until January 2016, German federal prosecutors identified Andrea Klump and Christoph Seidler, members of the Red Army Faction, as suspects. The Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany) introduced Siegfried Nonne as a key witness; however, he later withdrew his statements regarding harboring terrorists. His half-brother, Hugo Föller, corroborated that no other persons were present at the apartment in question. On 1 July 1992, German television aired Nonne’s claims that he had been coerced and intimidated by the Verfassungsschutz, Germany’s domestic intelligence service. That same year saw the establishment of the Alfred Herrhausen Society to commemorate his contributions.[1][2] In 2004, all charges against the Red Army Faction were dismissed; investigations have continued but without naming further suspects. Some media outlets from Germany and the United States have speculated about possible involvement of the former East German secret police, the Staatssicherheitsdienst (Stasi), in the assassination.[3]
There have been reports suggesting that Vladimir Putin, then serving as a KGB officer stationed in Dresden and later Russia’s president, had connections with RAF operatives linked to Herrhausen’s murder.[4] Nonetheless, a 2023 inquiry by Der Spiegel revealed that the individual who originated these allegations was never affiliated with the RAF and had multiple convictions for providing false testimony.[5]
In 2008, journalist Carolin Emcke authored Stumme Gewalt ("Mute Force"), a work honoring Herrhausen’s memory that advocates for peaceful societal discourse.[6] This publication earned her the prestigious Theodor Wolff Prize for journalistic excellence.[7]
In popular culture
- The 2001 German documentary Black Box BRD delves into the circumstances surrounding the lives and deaths of Herrhausen and Wolfgang Grams, a RAF operative believed to be involved in Herrhausen's murder.
- Herrhausen's assassination is depicted in the fourth episode of Deutschland 89.
- The 2024 miniseries Herrhausen: The Banker and the Bomb portrays Herrhausen's experiences during the 1980s, culminating in his assassination.
See also
External links
- Gravesite located at Waldfriedhof Bad Homburg, Germany. "We must say what we think. We must do what we say. We must also be what we do."