Fanaticism or Radicalism - Minister President Wüst requests NSU victim's apology.
Hendrik Wüst, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, has expressed his apologies to those harmed by the NSU attack in Cologne two decades ago. In an article for the "Cologne City Anchor" and Turkish newspaper "Hürriyet," Wüst extended his regrets to all those directly impacted by the incident in 2004, as well as those falsely accused within the same community.
He acknowledged, "The state's responsibility is to safeguard its citizens, so the fact that it didn't shield them from physical or emotional harm during the Keupstraße attack is a major failure." Wüst further implored, "Those who were disbelieved for years and falsely implicated in the investigation, despite being victims, I implore your forgiveness."
On June 9, 2004, NSU terrorists Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt detonated a nail bomb in the Keupstraße. 22 individuals were injured, some grievously. For a prolonged period, the police presumed the perpetrators affiliated with the Turkish community where the incident had taken place. Despite these initial suspicions, no investigations were conducted into extreme right-wing ideologies. It was not until the joint deaths of Mundlos and Böhnhardt in 2011 that authorities were able to attribute the Keupstraße attack along with other murders to the "National Socialist Underground" (NSU) terror group.
Wüst elucidated that the victims not only endured the distress of the attack and apprehension but were also subject to a biased public opinion. At times, these individuals were deceptively pinpointed as suspects throughout the course of the investigation. Since then, North Rhine-Westphalia has taken lessons from its omissions. Law enforcement and the justice system now more closely represent the cultural diversity of the country.
This Sunday, the commemorative event will involve the presence of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
