The lone surviving suspect in a neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany broke her silence in court on Thursday.
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The lone surviving suspect in a neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany broke her silence in court on Thursday.
Beate Zschaepe says she now rejects far-right ideology and condemned the killing spree it is alleged she was involved in.
Prosecutors say she was in a group accused in a series of racially-motivated murders between 2000 and 2007 that claimed the lives of ten people, mostly of Turkish background.
Zschaepe denies taking part in the killings with two close friends who later committed suicide.
On Thursday, Zschaepe, with her long black hair flowing over her shoulders, acknowledged that she had once identified with elements of nationalist ideology, a spokeswoman for the court in Munich confirmed.
“Today, I judge people not according to where they come from or their political views but according to their behaviour,” German media quoted her as telling the court. The spokeswoman confirmed this was the gist of what she had said.
'Zschäpe has actually said nothing' https://t.co/bUJGaFeuoc pic.twitter.com/C1CjVedKcc
— dwnews (@dwnews) 29 septembre 2016
The discovery in 2011 of the cell shocked Germany and official investigations since have shown the authorities massively underestimated the risk of far-right violence.
If found guilty, Zschaepe faces life imprisonment.