Dr. Werner Best, former branch leader of the Reich Security Office who is charged with complicity in the murder of 11,083 Jews during the Nazi era, was arrested yesterday for the third time at the request of the West Berlin Attorney General who said he might jump bail. Best, 67, who is a lawyer, was a Nazi Brigadenfeuhrer.
He was arrested three years ago and held in jail pending trial from March, 1969-March, 1971. But a West Berlin court ordered his release on grounds that his complicity in mass murder “could not be fully proven.” He was re-arrested last April on a new warrant but released almost immediately because of a heart condition. His re-arrest today was the result of public pressure. The Attorney General argued that Best faced a life sentence if found guilty and could leave the country despite the $60,000 bail posted for him.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
