A German court in Frankfurt has granted parole to Birgit Hogefeld, the last member of the Red Army Faction terror group still serving time in jail.

The court made the announcement Friday, commuting her life sentence after she served 18 years in prison.

The 54-year-old Hogefeld was arrested and convicted in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison for her part in the 1985 murder of a U.S. serviceman and a bomb attack on a U.S. Air Force base that killed two others.

Hogefeld's parole request was not granted sooner because of the severity of her crimes. It is unclear exactly when she will be released.

In announcing her parole, the court noted Hogefeld's development while in prison. She obtained a masters degree in a correspondence course from a German university and has started working on research for her Ph.D.

The Red Army Faction terror group grew out of student unrest in the 1970s and had leftist leanings.

The terrorist group killed 36 people and injured hundreds more in a series of bomb attacks and assassinations before formally disbanding in 1998.