Operation Leo

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Operation Leo was a plan to kidnap the Swedish minister for immigration, Anna-Greta Leijon, in 1977.{{cite news |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/2897591 |newspaper=Sveriges Radio |title=Operation Leo - Leijon som gisslan |date=11 June 2009 |access-date=11 June 2009 |language=sv}} The plan was devised by the second generation of the German Red Army Faction.{{Explain|date=November 2022|reason=Explain in the body of the article why this group is known as the second generation and their relationship with the first generation.}}

Origins

The first generation of the group was also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group, after two of its founding members.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Background

File:Polismuseet Kröcher 2012.jpg]]

The Red Army Faction devised the plan as a direct consequence of the outcome of the 1975 West German embassy siege in Stockholm.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}} A group of RAF members seized the embassy by force, demanding negotiations with the West German government.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}} After the Swedish and German governments had employed stalling tactics the terrorists became impatient and allegedly started planning a violent break-out.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}} A botched attempt to create a diversion led to an explosion and a massive fire.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}} One terrorist, Siegfried Hausner, died from injuries sustained in the explosion in Stammheim Prison after being flown to Germany.{{cite news |url=https://www.svd.se/arkiv/1975-05-05/1/SVD |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |title=Utvisad terrorist avled i fängelset |trans-title=Deported terrorist died in prison |page=1 |number=120 |date=1975-05-05 |access-date=18 April 2024 |language=sv |url-access=subscription}} The other members of the group were arrested as they tried to flee the premises.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}}

If the plan to kidnap Leijon had been successful the group would have named their unit "Commando Siegfried Hausner".{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}}

The operation

File:Polismuseet lådan 2012.jpg

Leijon was chosen because she held the highest political responsibility for the new Swedish anti-terrorist law, and the goal was to exchange Leijon for eight 'comrades' held in West German prisons.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}} The group intended to put the minister in a wooden box so as to prevent her from hearing or seeing anything and subsequently moving her to another location.{{cite news |url=https://www.svd.se/a/Ey44Ko/anna-greta-leijon-dod |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |title=Politikern Anna-Greta Leijon död |trans-title=Politician Anna-Greta Leijon has died |first=Ola |last=Palmström |agency=TT |date=2024-04-12 |access-date=18 April 2024 |language=sv}}

The plan was extensive and complicated and included robbing banks and procuring weapons. However, unbeknownst to the Red Army Faction, the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) had them under close surveillance.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}} Before the plan could be put into action the police arrested the entire group in an operation code-named "Ebba Röd".{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason=What is(are) the source(s) of this information?}}

During the investigation that followed, some 90 people were arrested. Many received prison terms, among them were:{{cite web |url=http://www.inblick.se/nyheter/2017/06/09/da-terrordomda-nu-samhallstoppar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610115204/http://www.inblick.se/nyheter/2017/06/09/da-terrordomda-nu-samhallstoppar |work=Inblick |title=Då: Terrordömda - Nu: Samhällstoppar |first=Ruben |last=Agnarsson |date=9 June 2017 |archive-date=2017-06-10 |access-date=2017-06-10 |language=sv}}

Lennart Warring, sentenced to four years in prison.
Pia Laskar, sentenced to three years in prison.
Anna-Karin Lindgren, sentenced to two years in prison.
[https://sv.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Motzi_Ekl%C3%B6f Katarina Motzi Ekelöf], sentenced to two years in prison.
Eive Tungstedt, sentenced to six months in prison.
Karl Gratzer, sentenced to three months in prison.

The leader of the group, Norbert Kröcher, was deported to Germany where he served out his prison sentence until released in 1989. After he was arrested, "Ebba Grön" was called out on the police radio.{{cite AV media |people=Johnsson, Fredrik (producer) |date=29 April 2012 |title=Operation Leo |type=radio documentary |language=sv |url=https://sverigesradio.se/topsy/ljudfil/srse/3905925.mp3 |access-date=18 April 2024 |archive-url= |archive-date= |format=mp3 |minutes=56:44, 57:20 & 60:56 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Sveriges Radio |series=P3 Dokumentär}} (Röd is the Swedish word for red, and Grön is the word for green. Ebba was the police code-name for Kröcher.) The Swedish punk band Ebba Grön, formed in 1977, named themselves after the code word used in the police operation.

Operation Leo

Origins

Background

The operation

References

Further reading