On Böhnhardt’s, Zschäpe’s and Mundlos’ vacation after the Keupstraße bombing attack

Today the court heard three witness concerning the vacation in Northern Germany which Böhnhardt, Zschäpe and Mundlos took in the summer of 2004, only weeks after the nail bomb attack in the Keupstraße in Cologne. Zschäpe had claimed in court that things had become frosty between her and the two men after they told her of the attack, but vacation photos found in the Frühlingsstraße apartment show all three in a very relaxed and happy mood. Today the court heard the owner of a camping site and two police officers who had considered the documents concerning this vacation.

On gun deals in Jena, and additional platitudes from Beate Zschäpe

Today the court first heard a federal criminal police officer who had questioned a member of the criminal scene in Jena. That person had, when questioned in Munich, relied on the privilege against self-incrimination (see our reports of 16 February 2016, 13 April 2016 and 28 April 2016). The officer reported that when questioned by him, the witness had stated that “Müller from Apolda” was one of the gun providers for his scene in the early 2000s – it is known that Swiss national Hans-Ulrich Müller, who was identified as the buyer of the Ceska murder weapon, lived in Apolda for some time.

The witness had also reported on the cooperation of those in the criminal scene who saw themselves as Nazis with the political Nazi scene. Continue reading →

The court continues to kill time and to refuse to clear up the facts

Today the court first read out several documents

It then considered pictures of a vacation that Zschäpe, Mundlos and Böhnhardt had taken in 2004, shortly after the bombing attack in the Keupstraße in Cologne. These show all three in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere – a marked contrast to Zschäpe’s claims that her relationship to the two men had become particularly strained after they told her about the attack in Cologne.

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The court is working hard not to clear up the involvement of secret service informers

The trial day began with a court decision rejecting the motion by the Zschäpe defense for a suspension of the trial. The court then heard a federal criminal police detective who once again testified on radio stations’ reports on the death of Böhnhardt and Mundlos after the robbery in Eisenach on 4 November 2011.

The rest of the rather short trial day was dedicated to the court rejecting several motions for evidence brought by victims’ counsel. These motions had concerned the criminal acquaintances of Böhnhardt, Zschäpe and Mundlos as well as the question why those three were never arrested during their stay in Chemnitz, in spite of reports concerning their presence in the city, robberies they had committed and were planning to commit, as well as their supporters.

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Once more on the witnesses from the criminal scene in Thuringia

The only witness today was a federal criminal police detective who had interviewed the three witnesses from the criminal scene in Thuringia. As all three witnesses have refused to testify in court, the court is now introducing their testimony given to the police. His testimony today did not lead to any relevant new facts, all three witnesses had also refused to answer at least some of the questions of the police, after all.

Zschäpe defense counsel Borchert brought a motion for access to the original case file as well as a suspension of the trial, arguing that he was unable to check whether the electronic copy of the case file he had been given is complete while the trial is ongoing. He will surely be granted access as requested, just as surely as he will not be granted a suspension.

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