Werner Weinhold (8 August 1949 – 2 May 2024) was a trained lathe operator and NVA soldier.
At a second trial in 1978, he was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter and armed motor vehicle theft and sentenced to 5.5 years in prison.
The East German government refused to cooperate with the investigation and repeatedly demanded Weinhold's extradition.
[3] In 1993, MfS General Gerhard Neiber [de] was accused of planning the assassination of Weinhold after he had been released from prison in West Germany, but no charges were brought due to unclear evidence.
[5] The computer game Wargame: European Escalation creates an alternate history scenario where Werner Weinhold's 1975 defection causes military skirmishes to erupt between East and West Germany that escalate into World War III between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.