Serbia asks U.S. to extradite accused Nazi
(JTA) — Serbia has requested the extradition of an American citizen accused of committing genocide and other crimes as a Nazi officer during World War II.
Serbia’s justice minister on Nov. 26 formally requested the extradition of Peter Egner, 86, who lives in a retirement community outside of Seattle, Wash.
Egner, a Yugoslavia native, is accused of joining in April 1941 the Nazi-controlled Security Police and Security Service in German-occupied Belgrade, a Nazi mobile killing unit that participated in the mass murder of more than 17,000 Serbian civilians during World War II.
Egner came to the United States in 1960 and became a citizen six years later.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit in 2008 attempting to strip Egner of his citizenship, saying he lied about his Nazi past on his citizenship application.
Egner has admitted volunteering to serve in the Security Police and Security Service as well as guarding prisoners as they were being transferred to concentration camps. He also admitted serving as an interpreter during interrogations of political prisoners, which sometimes involved severe torture. Prisoners often were executed following their interrogations.
Serbia’s war crimes prosecutor has said that he wants to try Egner in Serbia, The Associated Press reported.
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