German neo-Nazi murder suspect says has left behind far-right ideology

German neo-Nazi murder suspect says has left behind far-right ideology
By Reuters
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MUNICH (Reuters) - Beate Zschaepe, a suspected neo-Nazi gang member on trial for involvement in the murders of 10 people, told a German court on Tuesday that she had left behind any right-wing ideology.

Prosecutors say Zschaepe was part of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), whose members killed eight Turks, a Greek and a German policewoman over seven years from 2000.

Judges will give a verdict on July 11, the court said on Tuesday, ending a trial that has taken more than five years to complete.

In her closing statement, Zschaepe, 43, said of her neo-Nazi beliefs that "this chapter is closed".

Zschaepe has denied taking part in the murders with two men who killed themselves in 2011 when police discovered the gang by chance. But she has, through her lawyer, said she felt morally guilty for not stopping them.

The prosecution has demanded a sentence to life in prison. Zschaepe's lawyers have urged the court to convict her of the lesser charges of arson and robbery.

The NSU attacks were the most violent by a guerrilla group in Germany since the end of the far-left Red Army Faction's two-decade spree in 1991, in which 34 people are estimated to have been killed.

(Reporting by Alexander Huebner; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

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