German Terrorist Haule Will Be Paroled After 21 Years in Prison

German terrorist Eva Haule, who was convicted for participating in the murder of an American soldier and a bombing attack on a U.S. airbase, will be released on probation after serving 21 years in prison.

The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt decided to parole Haule, who can leave prison on Aug. 21, the court said in an e- mailed statement today. Haule was a member of Germany's Red Army Faction terrorist movement from 1984 until her arrest in 1986.

``The court has come to the conclusion, together with the federal prosecutor and after hearing several psychological experts, that the convict now no longer poses a danger to the public,'' the court said.

Several members of the terrorist organization have sought early release from prison this year, spurring discussion on the Red Army and its so called Offensive 77. The terrorist campaign 30 years ago led to a series of murders, including that of Dresdner Bank AG Chief Executive Officer Juergen Ponto and the kidnapping and killing of BDI industry lobby chairman Hanns Martin Schleyer.

Haule was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for participating in the murder of U.S. soldier Edward Pimental. Terrorists killed him in August 1985 to obtain his identification card which allowed one of the terrorists entrance to the U.S. Rhine-Main-Airbase with a bomb-loaded car. The explosion killed two Americans and wounded several others.

In April 2006, the court said Haule must serve at least 21 years before being eligible for parole. Since June 2004, Haule was allowed to leave her Berlin prison during the day and started an apprenticeship as a photographer.

The fact that Haule now renounces violence as a means to reach political goals led to the decision, the court said. The judges heard Haule two times before reaching their decision.

In March, Brigitte Mohnhaupt, a leader of the Red Army in the 1970s, was released from prison after serving 24 years. In May, German President Horst Koehler rejected a petition by Christian Klar for a pardon. Mohnhaupt and Klar were convicted for the 1977 murders of Ponto and Schleyer.

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