Merkel apologises for failure on neo-Nazi murders

She sought forgiveness over the 10 murders of mostly immigrants blamed on a seven-year killing spree by a neo-Nazi gang. Merkel led a memorial ceremony for the eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman believed to have been killed between 2000 and 2007 by the neo-Nazi cell which managed to operate under the radar for 11 years. Addressing about 1,200 people at Berlin s concert hall, Merkel solemnly read out the names and family details of the 10 people who she said were victims of "cold-blooded murder". She said the killings were "a disgrace for our country" and vowed to do everything possible to shed light on the murders and bring those responsible and their supporters to justice. Shortly afterwards, at noon, businesses, schools, public transport and media observed a minute s silence after employers and trade union organisations called for a halt to remember the victims. Authorities have faced criticism over how the small far-right group could operate with impunity for 11 years and the government has admitted gross errors by the security services. Merkel apologised for the fact that, in some cases, relatives of the victims were themselves suspected of involvement in the crimes. "Some relatives were themselves for years wrongly under suspicion. That is particularly tormenting. For that I ask you for forgiveness," Merkel, dressed in black, said. "How bad it must be, to be at the mercy for years of false suspicions, instead of being able to mourn," she added. The memorial began with students carrying 12 candles to the front of the hall to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The candles were for each of those killed, plus one for other victims of extremist violence and one representing hope for the future. After Merkel s address, 25-year-old Semiya Simsek, the daughter of the first victim, Enver Simsek, who left Turkey to run a flower business in Germany and was killed in September 2000, spoke. "For 11 years we couldn t say that we were victims," she said adding that members of her family had been suspected of involvement in the killing and her father also suspected of being a drug-dealer. Former president Christian Wulff was due to address the commemoration but was replaced by Merkel after he resigned as head of state last week in the face of a corruption probe. Members of the Turkish parliament s human rights committee as well as diplomats, German federal and state lawmakers and action groups fighting xenophobic violence were among the 1,200 guests. Music by Turkish composer Cemal Resit Rey also featured in the ceremony, as well as a specially-arranged medley of "Fragile" by Sting and John Lennon s "Imagine". The neo-Nazi gang calling itself the National Socialist Underground only came to light in November when two members were found dead in an apparent suicide pact and a 36-year-old woman turned herself in. The extremist cell is also believed to have mounted two bomb attacks in the western city of Cologne in 2001 and 2004 with a total of 23 wounded in addition to a series of armed bank hold-ups. The German justice ministry said last month it had already started paying between 5,000 and 10,000 euros ($6,500 and $13,100) in compensation to victims of the far-right cell. A draft law has also been approved for the creation of a national registry of right-wing extremists with information collected by police and intelligence officials at the federal and state levels. A number of suspects have been detained in connection with the case. Some three million Turks or Germans of Turkish origin are settled among Germany s 82-million-strong population, representing its largest ethnic minority.