Itzehoe, Germany, Sept 30 (AFP/APP):A 96-year-old former Nazi concentration camp secretary was detained on Thursday after trying to flee before the opening of her trial in Germany, in a dramatic start to the proceedings.
One of the first women to be prosecuted for Nazi-era crimes in decades, Irmgard Furchner is charged with complicity in the murders of more than 10,000 people at the Stutthof concentration camp in occupied Poland.
But she failed to show up on Thursday at the opening session of her trial in the northern German town of Itzehoe.
Furchner had earlier left her retirement home near Hamburg and taken a taxi to a subway station, said Frederike Milhoffer, a spokeswoman for the court.
Just hours later, the fugitive was found and the court will now decide whether to remand her in custody.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, she could also be detained in hospital or have reporting requirements imposed on her, and could eventually be brought to the courtroom by force if necessary.
Amid the chaos, judge Dominik Gross said the hearing has been suspended until October 19.
Lawyer Christoph Rueckel, acting on behalf of Holocaust survivors, said Furchner had written to the court around three weeks ago to say she planned to boycott the proceedings because they would be “degrading” for her.
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