Poland seeks extradition of alleged Nazi from the US

Polish prosecution has asked the US Department of Justice to extradite a 98-year old Michael Karkoc who, Poland believes, was a former commander of an SS unit, which took part in a mass killing in Polish village Chłaniów, where 44 civilians were murdered. Polish prosecutor Robert Janicki said he was “100 percent” certain that the suspect is a former Nazi leader based on Nazi pay stub records, testimony from other unit members and Karkoc’s own Ukrainian language memoir in which he places himself at the site of at least one mass murder. Polish prosecution has asked the US officials to examine the health condition of the suspect, which would be the first step in seeking extradition. Karkoc family, who moved to the US in 1949, calls the accusations baseless. “These are lies, this is defamation, this is slander, it’s unsupported, it’s innuendo, it’s allegations,” Michael's son Andriy said. His family claims that Michael is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Prosecutors in Germany shelved their own investigation of Karkoc in 2015 after saying they had received "comprehensive medical documentation" from doctors at the geriatric hospital in the US where he was being treated that led them to conclude he was not fit for trial. If extradited and convicted, Karkoc could face life in prison.