Demjanjuk. Not alone
Photo: AP, C.H. PETE COPELAND , MBR
'Witness in Demjanjuk case suspected of mass murder'
Witness for prosecution Samuel K. said to have similar history to suspected Nazi war criminal on trial
One of the witnesses in the trial of John Demjanjuk is "suspected of having been an accessory to the cruel murder of at least 434,000 people," Der Spiegel magazine reported Sunday.
The 88-year-old witness, named only as Samuel K, has a similar war history to that of Demjanjuk. He was recruited by the SS into the Trawnikis but was never brought to justice for his crimes.
Brought to Justice
Suspected death camp guard faces charges of helping to kill 27,900 Jews during World War II
According to Der Spiegel's report he worked as a guard at the Belzec extermination camp, and has been questioned by German authorities a number of times since 1969 for his involvement in mass murder.
He was also interviewed by Bavarian criminal investigators in June this year regarding his time in Belzec. Der Spiegel reported that he told them, “It was clear to all of us that the Jews were being exterminated there, and later also burned.”
The 89-year old Demjanjuk, who has for many years appeared on the Weisenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi criminals, was arrested in the US following a warrant for his extradition to Germany.
He was extradited in May and since then has been held in Munich, where his trial is scheduled to begin on November 30. He is charged with 27,900 counts of accessory to murder for his part in the gassing of prisoners taken to Sobibor concentration camp.
