German authorities arrest man who worked at Auschwitz on suspicion of accessory to murder

BERLIN – German authorities say they have arrested a 93-year-old alleged former Auschwitz guard who once lived in the United States on suspicion of accessory to murder.

Hans Lipschis was taken into custody Monday after prosecutors concluded there was “compelling evidence” he was involved in crimes at Auschwitz while there from 1941 to 1945.

Lipschis acknowledges he served with the Nazi SS in the notorious death camp but claims he was only a cook. About 1.5 million people, primarily Jews, were killed at the camp complex.

Lipschis was deported from the U.S. in 1983 for lying about his Nazi past when he immigrated to Chicago in the 1950s after the war.

Stuttgart prosecutors say a doctor confirmed his health remains good enough for him to be kept in detention.