Auschwitz Suspect Arrested
Staff journalist | 12th February 2010

Swedish man arrested for alleged involvement in Auschwitz sign theft

A former neo-Nazi leader was arrested in Sweden yesterday, 11 February. 34-year-old Anders Hogstrom is being held in Stockholm as a suspect in the theft of the "Arbreit Macht Frei" sign, which took place in December.

The suspect was arrested by Swedish police on a European arrest warrant. He will be appointed a lawyer and will be questioned, after which the Swedish authorities can decide on whether or not he will be extradited to Poland to face charges here.

The Swedish man was the founder of the National Socialist Front, a Swedish neo-Nazi group that was active in the 1990s. However, Mr. Hogstrom is reported to have left the group in 1999 to become an opposer to the extreme right.

According to Polish prosecutors, Mr. Hogstrom visited Auschwitz in spring 2009.


See also: Auschwitz Sign Returned to Museum
The World Remembers Auschwitz

Photo: The stolen sign was returned to the Auschwitz Museum authorities, in pieces, on 21 Jan. / photo by Anna Spysz

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