By The Associated Press
BERLIN - The Simon Wiesenthal Center said Thursday it passed the names of four suspected former Nazi criminals to German authorities so that they can be brought to justice before they die.
A statement from the Jerusalem office of the center did not identify any of the four, but said they were accused of crimes including "murder in concentration camps or taking part in shootings."
The names were the first results of Operation Last Chance, a drive launched this year by the center to track down former Nazis for World War II-era crimes before they die of old age.
The center, named for the late Nazi hunter and concentration camp survivor Simon Wiesenthal, said it had received 150 telephone calls as well as e-mails and faxes with tips on suspects who have evaded prosecution.
It said it had filtered out 50 names and that four "promising" cases had been passed to German investigators. It said more names would follow shortly.
The center, which is offering $10,000 for information which leads to a suspect being charged, said two of the four were identified following tips from relatives. It said a third was tracked down from a tip from a member of their former military unit. It gave no details about the fourth. w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m, 3.11.05 |
