A former Swedish neo-Nazi group leader has claimed that he intended to sell the stolen Auschwitz "Arbeit macht frei" sign for several million crowns, but changed his mind and helped catch the five Polish thieves instead.

The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet says the man belonged to an illegal fascist group which planned violent attacks against politicians. Money received from selling on items such as the "Arbeit macht frei" sign - stolen on December 18 from the Auschwitz museum and found three days later in woodland near Torun in northern Poland - could be used to fund the political group’s activities.

“Money for the plate would go to Nazi activities," the man tells Aftonbladet. “We had someone who was prepared to pay several million crowns for the sign, that person has no political agenda. These kinds of objects have a great value to collectors.”

But after the international outrage following the theft, the man, who remains nameless in the report, says that had a change of heart and contacted the Swedish police, Interpol and police in Krakow.

Swedish authorities received a formal request from Polish investigators for help in the enquiry a week ago. Krakow police believed that the five Polish men arrested were acting for a foreign buyer resident in Sweden.

Swedish lawyer Peter Althin told the TT news agency, Tuesday, that he has been in contact with the suspect in Stockholm. "I won't get into it any more for the moment, except to say that I have, in Sweden, met the man who has been written about," he said.

At the weekend the Sunday Mirror in the UK said that the Swede was merely acting as a middleman and would later pass on the Gate 1 Auschwitz sign to someone in Great Britain. (pg)

source: PAP,TT

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