Italian man, 66, released after stealing Auschwitz barbed wire
Published August 13, 2012
WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — An Italian man who stole a one-foot piece of barbed wire from Auschwitz was released from police custody a day after being arrested at the airport in Krakow.
The man, 66, tried to leave the country Saturday night with the wire in his luggage. He explained he did it because his father died in Auschwitz.
He was released after leading police to the artifact, the Associated Press reported Sunday evening.
This is not the first theft at Auschwitz. The most well-known case of theft at Auschwitz occurred in December 2009. Thieves have stolen the inscription “Arbeit macht frei” from above the gate of the former camp, and cut it into at least three pieces. The perpetrators were sentenced to jail.
At least 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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