Germany is launching a national registry of neo-Nazis similar to a list of Islamic extremists put in place after September 11th, 2001.

Interior Minister Hans-Peter Frederich said the new registry will hold information gathered from police and intelligence agents from across Germany.

The announcement of the new list comes as authorities open a fresh investigation into a string of murders of Turkish immigrants and a Greek. Police blame the murder spree on a small group of neo-Nazis calling themselves the National Socialist Underground.

Nine storekeepers and a policewoman were murdered between 2000 and 2007. Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the killings shameful and President Christian Wulff says he is outraged.

Critics say a lack of coordination between various local German police departments allowed the group to to carry out their murderous attacks for so long.