The Belgian Government was reported today to have asked Austria to extradite former SS General Robert Verbelen, who was arrested in Austria last week on charges of war crimes committed during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. During the war, he was the top deputy to the Belgian Nazi leader, Leon Degrelle. Since Verbelen acquired Austrian citizenship some time ago, however, the request was expected to be turned down.
It became known meanwhile that, shortly after arriving in Vienna, Verbelen adopted the name of Isaak Meisels, under which it appeared he had been an employee of the United States occupation forces in Vienna. Later, under the horn de plume of Jean Marais, he wrote political articles for Spanish periodicals. Austrian officials have opened an investigation to determine what Austrian groups or persons helped Verbelen during his long freedom from exposure and arrest. He has been living here since 1945. Four prominent Belgian resistance fighters will come to Vienna next week to discuss the case with Austrian authorities.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
