Nazi War Criminal Laszlo Csatary Taken Into Custody in Budapest
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ABC News(BUDAPEST, Hungary) — The past may have finally caught up with a 97-year-old Nazi war criminal who was taken into custody Wednesday in Budapest, Hungary.
Laszlo Csatary, who has been convicted in absentia and sentenced to death, was picked up early Wednesday by authorities, Bettina Bagoly, a spokeswoman for the Budapest prosecutor, told ABC News.
The elderly former Nazi was charged with war crimes and will be taken before an investigative judge later on Wednesday. The judge will determine whether Csatary is to remain in jail. Still, Bagoly said that it was “likely” that he would be placed under house arrest.
In a statement issued on Monday, the prosecution said that they’re still investigating allegations against Csatary because the crimes are complex and were committed long ago and in another country.
“It took place 68 years ago in the region that is under the jurisdiction of another country — which also raises several investigative and legal problems,” the prosecutor’s statement said.
Csatary has lived openly under his own name in Budapest in recent years and the Simon Wiesenthal Center alerted authorities earlier this week of his location. Nevertheless, when police visited his two homes in Budapest earlier this week, Csatary was not there.
According to the Wiesenthal Center, Csatary played a “key role” in the deportation of 300 Jews to Kamyanets-Podilsky in Ukraine where they were killed, and also helped organize the deportation of 15,700 Jews to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland.
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