Auschwitz sign theft
February 2, 2010
An official at the court in the southern Polish city of Krakow said the warrant had been issued for 34-year-old Anders Hoegstroem.
Polish authorities have already arrested five local men in the case, but they have previously identified Hoegstroem as the mastermind behind the theft.
The European Arrest Warrant obliges any European Union member state to hand over Hoegstroem within 90 days of his arrest.
The measure replaces the traditional extradition process, which in the past could take years of legal stalling. The measure has been on the EU books since 2005, but this is throught to be the first major case in which it is being put to use.
Theft sparked outrage
The five-meter (16 feet) wrought iron sign - the German words on which translate as "work sets you free" - was stolen in December from above the gate to the concentration camp. The sign, a worldwide symbol of the atrocities of Nazi Germany, was later found by police cut into three pieces.
The theft of the sign sparked international outrage, especially in Israel. Up to 1.5 million people, mostly Jews, died at Auschwitz during Nazi Germany's occupation of Poland in World War II.
The recovered sign is now being repaired. A replica had to be put up last week at the ceremonies commemorating the 65th liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops.
mm/AFP/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar