The sign "Arbeit macht frei" Auschwitz found

Police found the famous inscription of iron "Arbeit macht frei", which overlooks the entrance to the former concentration camp Auschwitz, and arrested five suspects apparently unrelated to the neo-Nazi or extreme right. Museum officials have repair panel, cut into three pieces, and hang up as soon as possible.
Five men, aged 20 to 39, were arrested late Sunday night after the discovery of the inscription, which in German means "Work brings freedom". The panel of 5 meters was found in three pieces near the house of a suspect in a snowy forest in northern Poland, at the other end of the country, the camp of Auschwitz is a museum located in the south.

The inscription had been stolen before dawn Friday, causing consternation and indignation in the world. This disappearance had been unanimously condemned by the international community.

The sign marks the entrance to the former Nazi death camp where more than one million people, mostly Jews, were killed during the Second World War.

The arrests were carried through over a hundred details, welcomed Monday the chief investigators, Andrzej Rokita at a press conference.

It is too early to know the motives of the alleged theft. Rokita says the suspects did not appear linked to neo-Nazis or extreme right. Another investigator, Marek Wozniczka, said it would determine whether they had acted on orders. "These are ordinary thieves," he said.

Four are unemployed and fifth owns a small construction company. Four of them have also attended the same flight, winning the 40kg panel. "It seems they have cut enrollment in Oswiecim (Auschwitz in German) Similarly, it is easier to carry," noted Andrzej Rokita. Each piece corresponds to one of the German words.

The suspects should be indicted for stealing an object of particular value and face up to ten years in prison. Other charges could be brought against them.

Museum officials have greeted the news with great relief, despite the damage to the panel. A spokesman Pawel Sawicki said that experts should determine how best to repair it but the authorities hope to put in place as soon as possible.

In a statement sent to The Associated Press, Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, praised the speed of the investigation. "Whatever the motivation, it must have a twisted mind to fly the symbol of the Holocaust death camp the world's most famous," he said.

A survivor of Auschwitz, Noach Flug, also welcomed the entry has been found. "We thank the Polish government and Polish police have conducted an intense investigation that led to the discovery of the panel," said the head of the International Auschwitz Committee. "We intend to monitor the investigation to understand the motives of thieves". He found "necessary" to strengthen the security of the site.