Three sentenced in Auschwitz sign theft

Three Polish men, who confessed to cutting the 16-foot “Arbeit Macht Frei” metal sign in pieces and stealing it from the Auschwitz concentration camp, were given sentences ranging from six months to 21⁄2 years, according to reports.

Two other Polish men remain in jail in connection with the theft.

The sign, which means “work makes you free,” was stolen Dec. 18 and recovered across the country 72 hours later.

Anders Hogstrom, a former Swedish neo-Nazi, is suspected of ordering the men to steal the sign. He allegedly acted as an agent for a British Nazi sympathizer who wanted the sign. — jta