Alleged Nazi War Criminal Peter Egner Taken into Custody

Today Peter Egner of Bellevue Washington will be fighting to remain a citizen of the United States. After being taken into custody for alleged Nazi war crimes. Mr. Egner was very open these last decades telling his friends in West Linn of his service in WWII. Unfortunately for him he did not provide them with a truly clear picture of his participation during the war.

In a complaint filed on June 15 in Seattle Washington Mr. Egner is alleged to have been a member of a Nazi Death Squad. This squad was alleged to be responsible for the killing of up to 17,000 Serbian Jews, Gypsies and what they claimed were political dissidents. The complaint also alleges that he was a member of the Security Service in Belgrade, Serbia in 1941 to 1943.

Court documents claim that during the first nine months of Egners participation with the SPSS they were active in Belgrade Einsatzgruppe. Belgrade Einsatzgruppe was a mobile group that was given the assignment of playing an active part in the Final Solution, and played a role in Nazis' mass murder of 6,280 Jewish women and children at the Semlin camp. This information was provided in an affidavit filed by Elizabeth White who is with the office of special investigation's chief historian. According to the historical accounts, the Belgrade Einsatzgruppe used carbon monoxide as the means of killing these innocent people.

Acting assistant attorney general Matthew Friedrich's release to the news in Washington D.C. stated, "The Nazi unit in which Peter Egner is alleged to have participated was responsible for countless deaths and unimaginable suffering."

Mr. Egner made his home recently at the Silver Glen Retirement Cooperative in Bellevue. He was a resident in West Linn Oregon and moved approximately 2 years ago after the death of his wife. He stated in an interview with Associated Press by phone that he was unaware of any complaint. Mr. Egner is represented by Robert Gibbs of Seattle and Mr. Gibbs confirmed to the Associated Press that his client alleges that he served in a low-level position in the security police at the age of 19 or so. Mr. Egner gave information to investigators in February 2007 that indicated he was an interpreter during interrogations of political prisoners.

Mr. Egner came to the US in 1960 and obtained citizenship in 1966. The complaint filed alleges that he lied to obtain that citizenship by not providing the information to officials that he served with the SPSS Service. His paperwork indicates that he served as in infantry sergeant in the army.

Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in LA states that they will watch to see if he is stripped of his citizenship and if so then will call for a criminal prosecution wherever he lands. OSI representative Laura Sweeney indicates that the US has no way in which to prosecute Mr. Egner criminally except to strip him of his citizenship.

His attorney states that he believes that Mr. Egner will retain his US Citizenship, as he did not participate during the war in any crimes that would put him at that high of a level of punishment. Rabbi Hier states, that he should be brought to justice now. That he lived so long is no reason to reward him because he lied and was never found out." The Rabbi wants all people to remember the thousands of young people who were cut down in the prime of their lives during the war.