Wanted for crimes against humanity: A 75-year-old ex-military man was arrested on Tuesday during a BKA raid in Berlin. The man is said to have kidnapped, tortured and murdered people as commander for Argentina in the 1970s.
Because of the suspicion of several serious crimes in the 1970s, the living quarters of a former Argentine military member in Berlin were searched. According to “Bild”, ten officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office are said to have joined the operation. The 75-year-old man is accused of kidnapping, torturing and murdering at least 15 women and men during Argentina’s military dictatorship, the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday.
There is suspicion that in 1976 and 1977 he was second in command at a naval base in Argentina in a unit that is said to have pursued “supposed and actual members of the opposition”. The 75-year-old is said to have been “significantly” involved at the time. “Today’s search of the suspect’s living quarters served to find documents, papers and data carriers that provide information about the suspect’s role in connection with the “disappearance” of members of the opposition and their alleged killing,” the statement said.
Because of the allegations, the man has been under investigation in Germany and Argentina for several years, the Attorney General said. He is said to have fled to Germany because of the Argentine procedure. “Since he is both a German and an Argentine citizen, he escaped extradition,” it said. Therefore, the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office initiated separate proceedings against him.
