Germany had turned blind eye to neo-Nazi terror: Interior minister

BERLIN (AA) – Germany’s interior minister on Monday admitted that authorities made serious mistakes while investigating a killing spree that targeted eight Turkish immigrants between 2000 and 2007.

“We realized only too late that all these murders were carried out by a right-wing terror cell,” Horst Seehofer said in an interview with German news agency DPA.

“We were blind in the right eye for too long,” the conservative politician said, adding that one should acknowledge this bitter fact, “even if it hurts” today.

The far-right National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror group killed eight Turkish immigrants, one Greek citizen, and a German policewoman during a crime spree that lasted until 2011.

For many years, Germany’s police and intelligence services ruled out any neo-Nazi motive for the murders and instead treated immigrant families as suspects, questioning them over alleged connections with mafia groups and drug traffickers.

The German public first learned of the NSU’s existence and its role in the murders on Nov. 4, 2011, when two members of the group reportedly committed suicide after an unsuccessful bank robbery. The police found evidence in their apartment, showing that they were behind the murders.

The scandal sparked a debate in Germany about institutional racism and increased pressure on the country's security and intelligence organizations, which have long been criticized for underestimating the far-right threat.

Seehofer said German authorities drew lessons from the failures of the past, carried out administrative reforms, and strengthened the capacities of security agencies in the fight against right-wing extremism.

He said the far-right remains a significant threat today, as reports point out that right-wing extremists can reach a wider audience and win over new followers.

"Our findings clearly show that the right-wing extremism is the greatest threat to security in Germany,” he stressed.