Sasha
11th February 2010, 16:59
Ex-Neo-Nazi Admits Role in Auschwitz Sign Theft
(http://www.aolnews.com/team/theunis-bates) Theunis Bates (http://www.aolnews.com/team/theunis-bates) Contributor
LONDON (Jan. 8) -- The one-time leader of a Swedish neo-Nazi group has claimed that he organized the theft of a sign from the gates of former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on behalf of an as-yet unnamed collector.
Anders Högström -- who founded Sweden's virulently anti-immigrant National Socialist Front in 1994 -- told local media that he was hired to collect the sign from the Polish gang that carried out the theft and pass it to a buyer. "I was asked if I wanted to take the sign from one location to another," he said during an interview with the daily Aftonbladet. "We had a person who was willing to pay several millions [of kronor, or hundreds of thousands of dollars] for the sign."
But after discovering that the money from the sale would fund a violent campaign aimed at disrupting Sweden's upcoming parliamentary election, Högström said he decided to inform police about the plot. "That was not something I wanted to be involved in or carry out in any way," said Högström, who quit the far-right movement in 1999.
http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/news_gallery/6/4/644382/1262978279178.JPEG
Jacek Bednarczyk, AFP/Getty Images
Until new security measures are put in place, a replica of the infamous "Arbeit macht frei" sign marks the interest to the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz.
Sweden's security service has confirmed that it is investigating reports of a neo-Nazi plot to bomb the country's parliament and the home of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. It has not confirmed whether this investigation is connected to the Auschwitz robbery.
Polish police -- who arrested five men after finding the sign cut into three pieces in northern Poland on Dec. 20 -- have refuted Högström's claim that his actions led to arrests in the case. "The phone call from Sweden came as we were already in the process of arresting the thieves," a spokeswoman for Krakow police told the AFP. Polish prosecutors now say they want to question three Swedish residents about the theft but haven't revealed whether Högström is on their wanted list.
The relationship between the Swedish ex-Nazi and his Polish accomplices began two years ago, when the gang's leader -- named Marcin A by Polish authorities -- was working on Högström's family estate in southern Sweden. When Marcin A returned to his construction firm in Poland, the two men stayed in touch. Then last fall, Högström ordered Marcin A to get a group of experienced thieves together, remove the sign from Poland's former death camp and smuggle it out of the country.
The operation didn't go smoothly. Unable to unscrew the wrought-iron banner -- which reads "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work sets you free") in German -- the gang wrenched it off the camp's gates, leaving the letter "i" in "frei" behind in the snow.
The thieves were shocked to discover that their crime was being reported around the world, and they hid the sign in woodland. The Poles contacted Högström and explained their worries, and the Swede decided to turn himself in to the police. "I'm proud to have revealed everything," Högström told Aftonbladet.
Why Högström was willing to help violate one of the world's most important Holocaust sites -- more than 1 million Jews were murdered at the camp -- after renouncing his past is still unclear. He publicly quit Sweden's National Socialist Front a decade ago, after members of far-right groups were found guilty of carrying out a wave of bank robberies and attacks, including the 1999 murder of trade unionist Björn Söderberg. More recently, Högström had joined a group called Exit, which helps youths quit far-right movements.
But perhaps the biggest mystery is who commissioned the theft in the first place. On Jan. 3, British newspaper The Daily Mirror said it had been told by Swedish sources that a rich Briton with a passion for Nazi memorabilia wanted the 16-foot-long metalwork. Prosecutors, however, have yet to comment on the sign's ultimate destination.
2010 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(http://www.aolnews.com/team/theunis-bates) Theunis Bates (http://www.aolnews.com/team/theunis-bates) Contributor
LONDON (Jan. 8) -- The one-time leader of a Swedish neo-Nazi group has claimed that he organized the theft of a sign from the gates of former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau on behalf of an as-yet unnamed collector.
Anders Högström -- who founded Sweden's virulently anti-immigrant National Socialist Front in 1994 -- told local media that he was hired to collect the sign from the Polish gang that carried out the theft and pass it to a buyer. "I was asked if I wanted to take the sign from one location to another," he said during an interview with the daily Aftonbladet. "We had a person who was willing to pay several millions [of kronor, or hundreds of thousands of dollars] for the sign."
But after discovering that the money from the sale would fund a violent campaign aimed at disrupting Sweden's upcoming parliamentary election, Högström said he decided to inform police about the plot. "That was not something I wanted to be involved in or carry out in any way," said Högström, who quit the far-right movement in 1999.
http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/news_gallery/6/4/644382/1262978279178.JPEG
Jacek Bednarczyk, AFP/Getty Images
Until new security measures are put in place, a replica of the infamous "Arbeit macht frei" sign marks the interest to the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz.
Sweden's security service has confirmed that it is investigating reports of a neo-Nazi plot to bomb the country's parliament and the home of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. It has not confirmed whether this investigation is connected to the Auschwitz robbery.
Polish police -- who arrested five men after finding the sign cut into three pieces in northern Poland on Dec. 20 -- have refuted Högström's claim that his actions led to arrests in the case. "The phone call from Sweden came as we were already in the process of arresting the thieves," a spokeswoman for Krakow police told the AFP. Polish prosecutors now say they want to question three Swedish residents about the theft but haven't revealed whether Högström is on their wanted list.
The relationship between the Swedish ex-Nazi and his Polish accomplices began two years ago, when the gang's leader -- named Marcin A by Polish authorities -- was working on Högström's family estate in southern Sweden. When Marcin A returned to his construction firm in Poland, the two men stayed in touch. Then last fall, Högström ordered Marcin A to get a group of experienced thieves together, remove the sign from Poland's former death camp and smuggle it out of the country.
The operation didn't go smoothly. Unable to unscrew the wrought-iron banner -- which reads "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work sets you free") in German -- the gang wrenched it off the camp's gates, leaving the letter "i" in "frei" behind in the snow.
The thieves were shocked to discover that their crime was being reported around the world, and they hid the sign in woodland. The Poles contacted Högström and explained their worries, and the Swede decided to turn himself in to the police. "I'm proud to have revealed everything," Högström told Aftonbladet.
Why Högström was willing to help violate one of the world's most important Holocaust sites -- more than 1 million Jews were murdered at the camp -- after renouncing his past is still unclear. He publicly quit Sweden's National Socialist Front a decade ago, after members of far-right groups were found guilty of carrying out a wave of bank robberies and attacks, including the 1999 murder of trade unionist Björn Söderberg. More recently, Högström had joined a group called Exit, which helps youths quit far-right movements.
But perhaps the biggest mystery is who commissioned the theft in the first place. On Jan. 3, British newspaper The Daily Mirror said it had been told by Swedish sources that a rich Briton with a passion for Nazi memorabilia wanted the 16-foot-long metalwork. Prosecutors, however, have yet to comment on the sign's ultimate destination.
2010 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.