Austria, Poland and West Germany have requested the extradition from Brazil of Gustav Franz Wagner, 67, identified as the former deputy commander of the notorious Treblinka and Sobibor concentration camps in Poland. The Brazilian Supreme Court is expected to examine the requests later this month.
Wagner, allegedly responsible for the extermination of more than 150,000 Jews during World War II, has been living in Sao Paulo. Some reports from there said he was detained by the Brazilian authorities, others that he was under surveillance. He was identified by Simon Wiesenthal, head of the Vienna-based Nazi war crimes documentation center and by a Polish writer after his photograph appeared in a Brazilian newspaper.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
