Beate Zschäpe Testifies Against Former Friend in NSU-Related Trial Amid High Security in Dresden

Convicted NSU terrorist Beate Zschäpe has returned to court in Dresden to testify against Susanne E., a woman accused of aiding Zschäpe by lending her identity to facilitate criminal activities. The trial is taking place nearly six years after Zschäpe's life sentence in 2018 for her involvement in the National Socialist Underground (NSU) murders, in which ten racially motivated killings occurred between 2000 and 2006, including the murder of a police officer.

The high-security proceedings at Dresden’s Oberlandesgericht attracted intense police presence, with the access road from the A4 highway closed and thorough security checks screening up to 100 spectators, including NSU victims' relatives. Zschäpe, aged 50 and imprisoned for 14 years, testifies behind a Plexiglas barrier. She has expressed guilt over the murders despite not directly committing them and is currently part of a neo-Nazi exit program.

Susanne E., 44, a mother of three and wife of a former convicted NSU supporter, faces charges of supporting a terrorist organization for allegedly providing Zschäpe with her personal identity documents, including a health insurance card, in 2001. Prosecutors assert that Zschäpe impersonated Susanne E. during that time to evade detection. Susanne E. has not commented on the allegations. The case sheds light on the support networks enabling extremist crimes.

Zschäpe's sentencing to life imprisonment in July 2018 reflected the severity of the NSU’s far-right extremist crimes. Given the nature of her conviction, her release after serving the standard 15-year term appears highly unlikely. This courtroom development marks a significant moment in ongoing efforts to address Germany’s history of racially motivated extremist violence and hold all accomplices accountable.