Minneapolis Man Is Former Nazi Unit Commander: Polish Prosecutor

A Minneapolis man is a former Nazi unit commander who is suspected of aiding in the murder of 44 Poles, according to a prosecutor in Poland.

The man accused of Nazi war crimes has been identified as 98-year-old Michael Karkoc by the Associated Press:

Robert Janicki said that various evidence gathered in years of investigation into U.S. citizen Michael K. confirmed "100 percent" that he was a World War II commander of a unit in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion, which is accused of burning villages and killing civilians in Poland.

Prosecutors of the state National Remembrance Institute have asked a local court in Poland to issue an arrest warrant for Karkoc. If granted, Poland would seek his extradition, Janicki said.

Karkoc's family denies that he committed war crimes.

Read much more at the Star Tribune.

Image via Kyle Simourd, Flickr, used under Creative Commons