Germany seeks extradition of former Nazi living in Pennsylvania

Germany is seeking the extradition of an 89-year-old Pennsylvania man in connection with the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jewish men, women and children at the Auschwitz and Buchenwald Nazi concentration camps, a U.S. judge said on Wednesday.

Johann Breyer was arrested by U.S. authorities on Tuesday at his home in Philadelphia on allegations that he served as a Nazi SS guard at the concentration camps. The retired tool-and-die maker, born in Czechoslovakia, is accused of joining the Waffen SS at age 17.

Breyer immigrated to the United States in 1952. He was the subject of deportation proceedings in the 1990s. His attorneys argued to the court then that he was a natural U.S. citizen, because his mother was born in Philadelphia. They also argued that he had been coerced into joining the SS. Breyer was allowed to stay in the U.S., but newly discovered evidence has strengthened the case against him.

War-era records show he was at Auschwitz earlier than he has acknowledged and that he also served as a guard in a notorious subcamp, known as Birkenau, which was used exclusively to kill prisoners.

U.S. authorities arrested him at his home on Tuesday, and brought him to court on Wednesday to face extradition proceedings.

In court on Wednesday, Breyer appeared thin, pale and disoriented, according to The New York Times. He used a cane to walk. His family says he suffers from several health problems, including mild dementia.

Breyer's lawyers argued that he was not healthy enough to be held in federal detention while his case is being decided.

But he did appear lucid enough to understand why he was in court.

According to the Times, when the judge asked Breyer if he understood that Germany was attempting to extradite him, he answered, “Yes.”

Germany has ramped up prosecutions of suspected former Nazis in recent years. In September, the country charged 30 former Auschwitz guards.

Al Jazeera and Reuters