A German district court has issued an arrest warrant for a 96-year-old woman due to go to trial on Thursday for her involvement in a murder at the Stautthof death camp during World War II, court officials say.
Irmgaard F, who prosecutors say worked as secretary at the camp from 1943 to 1945, left the elderly care home by taxi on Thursday morning and went to an underground station, a spokesman for the Itzo district court said. His whereabouts are unknown.
DW’s Louis von Richthofen, who was present in court, said the woman’s disappearance was announced when the trial was about to begin.
“If they find him, they will bring him to court today, read the arrest warrant, and they still have to determine whether he is fit to stand trial,” Von Richthofen said.
thousands of deaths
The woman has been charged with the murder of more than 11,000 people and involvement in attempted murder in several more cases.
His trial, if it happens, could be the last trial for Nazi crimes in Germany. This is due to take place in a juvenile court, as the woman was just 18 and 19 years old at the time of the alleged crimes.
About 65,000 people, many of whom were Jewish, died in the Stautthof death camp. Many prisoners died of malnutrition and disease, but the camp was also equipped with gas chambers and other life-threatening equipment.
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