Neo-Nazi murders: Beate Zschaepe goes on trial in Germany

Beate Zschaepe, 38, is accused of being part of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which killed 10 people, mostly of Turkish background.

She faces life in prison if convicted. Her lawyers deny the murder charges.

The case sparked controversy as police wrongly blamed the murders on the Turkish mafia for several years.

The head of Germany's domestic intelligence service was eventually forced to resign over the scandal.

Critics have accused authorities of turning a blind eye to the crimes of right-wing extremists.

Officials deny this, saying mistakes occurred because the murders were spread across different regions, each with different police and security agencies.

Zschaepe is due to appear in a Munich court on Monday.

She is charged with complicity in the murders of eight ethnic Turks, a Greek immigrant and a German policewoman between 2000 and 2007, as a founding member of the NSU.

She is also accused of involvement in 15 armed robberies, arson and attempted murder in two bomb attacks.

Prosecutors say the aim of the execution-style killings was to spread fear among immigrants and prompt them to leave Germany.

The cell remained undetected until Ms Zschaepe gave herself up in November 2011, after police discovered the bodies of two of her alleged accomplices.

Uwe Mundlos, 38, and Uwe Boenhardt, 34, appeared to have shot themselves after a botched bank robbery.

After their deaths, the gun used in the murders of the 10 people was discovered.

In addition, a video emerged showing pictures of the corpses of the victims and identifying the "organisation" behind the murders as the NSU.

Only then did the authorities conclude that the killings were the work of neo-Nazis.

They had previously treated families of victims as suspects.

As a result, the trial has taken on a meaning beyond the charges in court, as it is also puts the spotlight on attitudes towards the murder of members of ethnic minority groups, the BBC's Steve Evans in Munich says.