A foreigner outside of Poland commissioned the brazen theft of the infamous Auschwitz sign Arbeit Macht Frei (“Work Sets You Free”) and detectives must expand their investigation beyond the country’s borders, officials said.
In a bid to learn more about the escapade, the investigators held an re-enactment of the theft by the three men who confessed to taking the sign from the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
Based on the evidence gathered since the theft Friday, the crime was commissioned by a “person living outside Poland” and police were seeking help from Interpol and others as they investigate, said Artur Wrona, the chief prosecutor in Krakow.
Polish media have reported, without citing any sources, that someone in Sweden could be under suspicion, but Wrona refused to confirm or deny the claims.
In Stockholm, a Swedish police official said they’ve not been contacted about any links.
Despite the specter of an international link to the crime, Wrona said the investigation so far had exposed “glaring negligence” in the security system at the Auschwitz museum that let the burglars act “undisturbed.”
He said they drove to the then-closed museum in a sports car after dark on Thursday but found they needed tools to get the sign down. They went to a shop and bought tools including a spanner, he said.
When they returned, it was just after midnight and there were no guards about as they unbolted one side and ripped the other off the opposite gate post, officials said.
Police said the sign was cut into three pieces with a saw so it could fit in the getaway car.
Only one camera overlooks the gate and it remained unclear if it recorded the theft.
Working from tips, police found the sign on Sunday — hidden under snow in the woods — and arrested five suspects in northern Poland.
Prosecutors said three of the five men have confessed to Friday’s pre-dawn theft of the sign. All five face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of stealing and dismantling the sign.
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