Some have speculated that he was killed by former associates, that he went into hiding because of evidence against him in recently released Stasi files, or that he cooperated with authorities and has since been living under a new identity.
تكهن البعض أنه قتل من قبل زملاء سابقين وأنه اختبأ بسبب الأدلة ضده في ملفات شتازي التي صدرت مؤخرا أو أنه تعاون مع السلطات ومنذ ذلك الحين فإنه يعيش بهوية جديدة.