Auschwitz Sign Thieves Evade Prison

Three of the five men accused of the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign theft from the Auschwitz former Nazi concentration camp have failed to show up for the start of their prison terms. The three men were sentenced in March, after stealing the sign in late December 2009.

The men, who received sentences ranging from 18 months to 2.5 years, were due to appear in the Włocławek prison on Tuesday. The local police have been charged with tracking them down so that they may serve their sentences. They are identified as Radoslaw M. and Lukasz M., who are brothers, and Pawel S.

Two other Poles, who did not plead guilty with the three, are awaiting trail, as is the Swedish citizen who is believed to be the mastermind of the theft, Anders Hogstrom.