— A group of neo-Nazis calling themselves the Rudolf Hess Restitution Commando, have set a Feb. 14 deadline to kill two Jews at random unless they receive $7 million for a fund to free Rudolf Hess from the Spandau Prison in West Berlin. Hess, 86, who was Hitler’s right-hand man as the Deputy Fuehrer, is now the only prisoner in Spandau.
The neo-Nazi group made its demand in letters dated Jan. 30 and mailed in Salzburg, Austria to the governments of the four Allied powers which administer the prison–the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union–a West German government spokesman said.
The neo-Nazi organization said the $7 million it is demanding would be “a gesture of good will” and should be paid to the “Freedom for Rudolf Committee,” an organization formed by Hess’ son, Wolf-Ruediger Hess, 43, a Munich architect. No comments were available from the younger Hess and there is no indication that he is involved with the Restitution Commando group.
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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.