Verdict near in German neo-Nazi murder trial

ONE of the biggest trials in modern German history is to end today when the court hands a verdict to the only surviving member of a neo-Nazi cell behind a string of racist murders.

Beate Zschaepe, 43, is accused of complicity in 10 deadly shootings of mostly immigrants carried out by clandestine trio the National Socialist Underground.

The NSU’s two gunmen — Zschaepe’s former lovers Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boehnhardt — also shot dead a German policewoman during their 2000-07 killing spree before dying in an apparent suicide pact in 2011.

After their deaths following a bungled bank heist, Zschaepe revealed to a shocked German public the scope of the NSU’s crimes with a macabre confession video which she mailed to media and Muslim groups.

It was only then that Germany awoke to the news that the nationwide killings, long blamed by police on immigrant crime gangs, had in fact been committed by organized fascists.

The case deeply shocked Germany, which has struggled to atone for its dark Nazi past and which had associated terrorism mainly with far-left and Islamist militants, not rightwing thugs.

Prosecutors have demanded the maximum punishment for Zschaepe — a life term that translates to 15 years behind bars but can be extended if she is deemed an ongoing threat to society.

Also in the dock and facing up to 12 years jail are four men accused of having supported the NSU by providing the murder weapon, cash, identity papers and logistical aid during their years in hiding.

The co-accused are Ralf Wohlleben, a former member of the far-right NPD party, neoNazi Andre E. and two former supporters-turned-witnesses.

The court case, which began in May 2013, will end on its 438th day after hearing some 750 witnesses and over 50 experts.

Prosecutors have accused Zschaepe of being an active NSU member who helped the two men by covering their tracks, handling finances and providing a safe haven.

She has admitted only to lesser crimes, such as helping plot some of their 15 bank robberies, and setting fire to their home after the two men died.

Zschaepe, who refused to state her name for most of the trial, broke her silence later on to declare her innocence.

She has insisted she was an unwilling bystander horrified by the bloody crimes and not the strong-willed, active participant described by prosecutors.