Krakow, Poland – Auschwitz Sign Thieves Disappear

Krakow, Poland – Three Poles convicted of stealing the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign from the Auschwitz museum gate have not shown up to begin their prison sentences.

The news that convicts responsible for a crime which caused shock and outrage the world over were not even behind bars will come as a shock to many.

Two brothers Radoslaw M. and Lukasz M. (surnames withheld in accordance with Poland’s privacy laws) convicted of the theft of the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign in December, were sentenced to two and a half years in prison, while Pawel S., accused of driving the getaway vehicle, was sentenced to one and a half year imprisonment.

All of the above men – who pleaded guilty as charged – asked the court not to keep them in custody before they began their prison terms for the sake of a mother who needed to be taken care of, a coming wedding and the birth of a child one of them had fathered. The court decided to release the three men from custody and let them wait for their sentences to begin at home.

But now the men have disappeared. The District Court in Krakow may now issue a second arrest warrant.

Two other Poles involved in the theft of the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign, Andrzej S., who recruited the thieves and Marcin A., who was a middleman between Poles and the Swede Anders Hoegstroem, are in custody.

Hoegstroem, extradited to Poland from Sweden is currently undergoing interrogation by Krakow investigators.