US man faces up to 10 years in prison for stealing rail tracks from Auschwitz death camp

The infamous Auschwitz death camp, which has long been a magnet for souvenir hunters, saw another attack on its relics – this time perpetrated by an American citizen who attempted to steal a piece of the railway tracks.

The 37-year-old American tourist who was on a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was caught red-handed as he attempted to walk away with a part of the railroad tracks used when Holocaust victims were brought there in cattle cars. The man was caught in the act by security guards who then notified the police.

Read more

Stolen Auschwitz sign found in Poland

A spokesperson for the Oswiecim police, where the former death camp is located, said the would-be thief admitted his ill intent and has been released pending charges over an attempt to steal an item of cultural importance, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The notorious site has been turned into a museum, and is struggling to protect its many historical artifacts from rampant pilfering by tourists. In the past few years, the camp has sustained a number of attempts by visitors to take away mementos, with various degrees of success. The list of items is rather long and expands every year.

In July last year, two Hungarian tourists were charged with an attempt to steal bricks from the former crematorium, where Jews and other POWs were burned to death during WWII. The two were caught red-handed and prevented from taking the bricks out in a bag.

A year earlier, an Israeli student had more luck passing through security and managed to take a number of items, such as a metal screw, small bowls, and even a sign warning visitors against stealing, to Israel, where she proudly displayed them at a college graduation exhibition.

In 2015, two British teenagers were arrested after the guards spotted them picking up buttons, fragments of a spoon, and a rusted hair clipper from the ground at the camp.

Arguably the most high-profile souvenir heist took place in 2009 when five men stole the 'Arbeit Macht Frei' (Work sets you free) sign hanging over the camp's gate. The perpetrators cut the sign into three pieces with one word on each before it was recovered and the gang members were arrested.

About 1.1 million people perished in the camp during the war, most of them Jews. In total, around 11 million people were killed in Nazi concentration and death camps during World War II, 6 million of them Jews.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!