Munich - An alleged member of a German neo-Nazi terrorist group could finally answer some of the questions surrounding the series of racially inspired murders, bomb attacks and robberies committed by the cell when she testifies at her trial on Wednesday.
Beate Zschaepe is alleged to be the sole surviving member of the so-called National Socialist Underground (NSU), which prosecutors claim was responsible for the slaying of eight Turkish citizens, one Greek citizen and a German police officer between 2000 and 2007.
Her lawyer Mathias Grasel is to read out to a court in Munich her more than 50-page statement that he said will respond to “every single point” that has been raised during the protracted trial.
Grasel has, however, warned that the Zschaepe is suffering from psychological stress as the case drags on.
The landmark trial is one of the biggest in Germany since the 1970s, when members of the far-left Baader-Meinhof Gang, or Red Army Faction faced charges in court.
The statement will mark the first time that Zschaepe, who has been on trial since May 2003, has given her side of the NSU story.
Any questions from the court will be answered in written form.
Still, trial observers hope that her statement might also help to shed light on the relationship between the NSU members, as well the reasons behind the murder in 2007 of a policewoman and the severe wounding of her colleague.
Moreover, despite a lengthy police investigation into the group and a trial stretching two-and-a-half years, it still remains unclear how many members of the NSU there were.
The two other alleged NSU members, Uwe Boehnhardt and Uwe Mundlos, were found dead in a burning camper in November 2011 following an apparent murder-suicide as police closed in on them after a bank robbery.
Zschaepe later turned herself in after allegedly torching the apartment in the eastern German town of Zwickau where she lived with Mundlos and Boehnhardt, who are believed to be the main perpetuators of the group’s crimes.
In addition to being an accomplice to ten murders, two bombings and 15 robberies, Zschaepe has also been charged with arson and being the founding member of a terrorist organisation.
Up until now, Zschaepe’s three other lawyers had stopped her from speaking out in the court leading to tensions between the 40-year-old defendant and her court-appointed defence team - Wolfgang Heer, Wolfgang Stahl and Anja Sturm.
Grasel was appointed to the case in July this year. The court has not called any witnesses for Wednesday or Thursday.
DPA