Poland charges 3 men in theft of Auschwitz sign

Warsaw: Polish prosecutors filed charges today against a Swede with neo-Nazi ties and two Poles acting for profit and said all three had confessed to the brazen theft of the notorious "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the gates of the Nazi's Auschwitz death camp last year.
     
They also announced that a second Swede, whose name was not released, is suspected of masterminding the robbery and that investigators in Sweden will now work to shed light on his role, of which the public has so far known nothing.
    
"In our investigation we have uncovered evidence indicating the possibility that a Swedish citizen on Sweden's territory might have instigated another Swedish citizen to commit a crime connected with the theft of the 'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign," prosecutor Robert Parys said.
    
Prosecutors filed the charges today with a court in Krakow. They said the three had pleaded guilty and agreed to prison terms of about 2 1/2 years each.
    
Now it is up to the court to decide whether to accept their plea bargains and sentence them immediately without trial, a step considered very likely.

The court said it still hadn't reviewed the documents and could not comment day.
    
Prosecutor Janusz Hnatko said the Swede, Anders Hogstrom, would serve out his term in a Swedish prison if the court convicted him.