German Intelligence Hid NSU Terror Network for 9 Years
Journalist exposes systematic protection of informants over human lives
Journalist Tanjev Schultz from Süddeutsche Zeitung published in February 2021 the book "NSU – Die Akten: Was die Behörden wussten" (NSU – The Files: What the Authorities Knew) – the most comprehensive documentation of German government failure in the NSU case to date. The 480-page work is based on over 1,000 classified pages from the Verfassungsschutz (German domestic intelligence agency), which Schultz obtained through freedom of information requests between 2019 and 2020. The book won the German Non-Fiction Prize in the history category in November 2021.
Intelligence Knew – And Remained Silent
The chronology of what was known is chilling: As early as 1998, an informant codenamed "Tarek" reported to Verfassungsschutz Baden-Württemberg about Uwe Mundlos' escape plans. The intelligence agency was aware of the connection between Mundlos and later NSU supporter Ralf Wohlleben – eight years before the NSU murders began.
In 2000, informant "Corelli" (Thomas Starke) personally met Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt in Chemnitz and reported their sudden disappearance. In 2006, Verfassungsschutz registered "the trio" – Mundlos, Böhnhardt, and Beate Zschäpe – as wanted, while informant "Iraq" even provided a residential address in Zwickau. In 2007, informant "Mario" even supplied photographs of Zschäpe – yet Verfassungsschutz Baden-Württemberg ignored the NSU connection despite warnings from the German Federal Criminal Police.
During this period, NSU murdered ten people: nine migrants and one police officer. Authorities instead pursued a racist "Döner murders" theory and suspected the victims' families themselves.
29 Informants and Systematic File Destruction
Schultz's research identifies 29 informants within the NSU environment. The files document a clear pattern: critical information was systematically withheld from police and federal authorities. Even more scandalously: in 2011, immediately after NSU's self-exposure on November 4, Verfassungsschutz Baden-Württemberg destroyed 300 case files.
