KRAKOW, Poland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Swedish man was sentenced to nearly three years Thursday for his part in stealing the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the entrance to Auschwitz in Poland.
Anders Hoegstrom is to serve his two-year, eight-month sentence in Sweden, the Krakow Post reported. Hoegstrom, who allegedly arranged the theft of the sign, reportedly has ties to neo-Nazi organizations.
Two Poles received sentences of as much as 2 1/2 years. All three pleaded guilty in November.
The sign, which can be translated as "Work makes you free" or "Labor liberates," greeted new arrivals at the Auschwitz death camp. More than 1 million people, including Jews, Roma and Soviet soldiers, were put to death there. A work camp, however, was associated with the facility.
The sign disappeared in December 2009 and was recovered three days later cut into three pieces. It has now been placed in the museum at the camp and a replica hangs over the gate. UPI
