Defense demands acquittal for last NSU defendant Susann E., citing lack of knowledge of crimes
In the Dresden trial of the last suspect linked to the neo-Nazi NSU terror cell, defense lawyers called for her full acquittal, arguing she had no knowledge of the group's crimes.
Trial background
The trial of Susann E., the last defendant linked to the National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror cell, has been underway at the Oberlandesgericht Dresden since November 2025. The 45-year-old wife of convicted NSU supporter André E. faces charges of supporting a terrorist organization and aiding a serious armed robbery. She has remained silent since the first day of the trial, even when confronted with Beate Zschäpe, the convicted NSU member and her former best friend, who appeared as a witness three times.
The Bundesanwaltschaft accuses Susann E. of helping Zschäpe live underground between 2008 and 2011. She allegedly lent Zschäpe her personal identification card, rail card, and health insurance card. The prosecution also claims she was involved in the rental of a mobile home used in the NSU's last robbery in Eisenach on 4 November 2011, accepting that the vehicle would be used for a bank robbery.
Prosecution's case
Oberstaatsanwalt Wolfgang Barrot argued in his closing statement that Susann E. "made life underground considerably easier for her friend." He maintained that she was aware of the NSU's murders and robberies and facilitated the group's activities. The prosecution requested a prison sentence of four years.
Defense's counterarguments
Defense lawyers Uwe Schadt and Hendrik König from Berlin rejected the charges outright, demanding acquittal. They argued there is no evidence of any "knowledge transfer" between NSU members and their client.
König said, referring to the accusation that Zschäpe used Susann E.'s health insurance card for a dental visit. Schadt added that Susann E. had no knowledge of the purpose of the mobile home rental.Making a support action out of that goes too far.
The defense insisted that there is no proof Susann E. knew about any criminal acts. They described the prosecution's case as unfounded and called the charge of aiding and abetting obsolete.
The NSU's crimes
Between 2000 and 2011, the NSU core trio of Beate Zschäpe, Uwe Böhnhardt, and Uwe Mundlos committed ten murders, nine of them targeting small-business owners of Turkish and Greek origin, plus a German policewoman, as well as two bomb attacks in Cologne and 15 bank robberies. Böhnhardt and Mundlos died by suicide in 2011 to avoid capture. Zschäpe was sentenced to life in prison by the Oberlandesgericht München in 2018 after a trial lasting more than five years.
- NSU begins series of 10 racially motivated murders across Germany.
- Last robbery in Eisenach; Böhnhardt and Mundlos commit suicide.
- Beate Zschäpe sentenced to life imprisonment in Munich.
- Trial of Susann E. begins at OLG Dresden.
- Defense attorneys argue for acquittal.
What comes next
The court will now deliberate on the verdict. If convicted, Susann E. faces a sentence of four years as demanded by the prosecution. The defense's request for acquittal sets the stage for a final ruling that will close the last open chapter of the NSU prosecutions.
