Only witness to first NSU murder saw little, isn't sure

Published by carolyn on Sun, 2013-07-21 11:44

First Turkish victim Enver Simsek at home with his wife. A flower seller?

The following article is taken from a Deutsche Welle report published on July 10, 2013 (http://www.dw.de/witness-testifies-on-first-nsu-murder/a-16943666).

The Munich court probing a neo-Nazi murder series has heard testimony on the first killing in 2000. A passing motorist said he saw two men dash from a roadside stall where flower seller Enver Simsek was fatally shot.

Germany's trial of alleged neo-Nazi accomplices begun in May switched on Wednesday [July 10] to hearing witnesses on nine murders of small-business proprietors of mostly Turkish origin and a policewoman.

The first murder, when Enver Simsek was fatally shot in Nuremburg in 2000, was followed by nine further killings until 2007. Only in late 2011 did German authorities attribute the spree to far-right extremists and were criticized for following false theories.

[...]

The witness, an electrical engineer, told the court on Wednesday that on September 9, 2000, he heard numerous metallic bangs while driving past a roadside stall and then saw two young men in cycling clothing dash from a van.

"The cyclist outfit was conspicuous, because I did not see any cycles," the witness said. They had "very short hair and one of them wore a baseball cap, but I don't know for sure," the witness added.

Prosecutors say nine shots were fired from a Ceska pistol at the 38-year-old Enver Simsek inside his van by Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt.

The two deceased members of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) then took photos of the severely wounded Simsek, slid the van door shut, and disappeared, prosecutors say.

Simzek, who suffered severe head wounds, died two days later in hospital.

Two police officers had told the court on Tuesday that when they examined the white Mercedes van marked "Simsek Flowers" its bloodied interior was strewn with bullet casings. Outside, stood flowers bunched in tubs and a colorful sun umbrella.

It really appears like an organized crime hit, doesn't it? Why would these two impoverished "neo-nazis" waste so many bullets on one man? Nine shots and he was still alive? And why would they pick him? Shooting him in broad daylight where they could be seen? We are not told in this report the time of day (or night) that this incident took place, either. The information is very scanty. One has to wonder whether "Simsek Flowers" was a front for something else. -cy

Category 

NSU trial, Germany, Race