The trial of Beate Zschäpe, accused of complicity in nine racially motivated murders between 2000 and 2007, began on Monday, the LA Times reported. Eight of the victims were of Turkish descent and one of Greek descent.
Zschäpe is also linked to the murder of a German policewoman, and played a role in at least 15 robberies. The defendant is accused of supporting two bombings in 2001 and 2004, respectively, which were meant to kill as many people of non-German origins as possible, according to prosecutors. Twenty-three were wounded in the bombings, the New York Times reported.
Zschäpe was allegedly a member of a three-person far right-wing cell called the Nationalist Socialist Underground (NSU). The two other alleged members committed suicide in 2011 after a botched robbery, the LA Times reported.
The investigation has been beset by controversy, as investigators claimed for years the murders were connected to organized crime. Victims’ families were told their relatives might have been involved in the drug trade, the LA Times reported. It was not until 2011, after the suicide of Zschäpe’s alleged co-conspirators, that police came across evidence that shift the focus to right-wing extremist groups, the New York Times reported. Among the evidence: photos of the victims shortly after their murder.
Critics of Germany’s investigative services claim the errors displayed by the case go beyond simple incompetence. In July 2012, the director of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency resigned after it was revealed that a staff member had shredded potentially valuable evidence from informants on the NSU’s activities. Families of the victims have accused officials of downplaying the risk of right-wing extremism and demonstrating racism in the course of their investigation.
A parliamentary committee established in January has been charged with the investigation of wrongdoing by law enforcement. As of yet, no evidence has emerged to demonstrate law enforcement complicity in any of the crimes. A final report from the committee is expected this summer, according to the New York Times.