Latvia issues warrant for Nazi suspect

Mr Kalejs left Britain for Australia in January

A Latvian court has issued a warrant for the arrest of suspected Nazi war criminal Konrad Kalejs.

Mr Kalejs, 87, is accused of war crimes and genocide during World War II.

The senior Latvian prosecutor, Rudite Abolina, says Mr Kalejs was a member of the Arajs Kommando, a pro-Nazi death squad blamed for the deaths of 30,000 Jews, gypsies and communists.

Mr Kalejs denies the charges. His lawyer has until 30 October to appeal against the warrant.

Flight from Britain

He was living in the UK until the start of this year, when he left for Australia under threat of deportation. He has been an Australian citizen since 1957.

Australia will not necessarily hand Kalejs over to Latvia.

Australian Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone has said her country could not legally deport Mr Kalejs as Latvia has not yet issued a formal extradition request.

Konrad Kalejs would be the first person prosecuted for Nazi war crimes in Latvia

Latvia - which was occupied by Germany from 1941 to 1944 and then absorbed into the Soviet Union - vowed to prosecute alleged agents of Nazi and Soviet crimes after it regained its independence in 1991.

But while nearly a dozen men have been indicted or convicted for Stalinist-era crimes, no alleged Nazis have been tried.

Deported

Mr Kalejs was deported to Australia from the United States in 1994 and from Canada in 1997 because of his alleged war crimes.

The UK decided that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Kalejs, who had been living at a retirement home in Leicestershire.

After his arrival in Australia in January, the authorities there said the file on him remained open and new evidence against him would be pursued, if and when it was presented.

Mr Kalejs has admitted that he was a member of the Arajs Kommando, but says that he only fought against Russia on the eastern front or was studying at university when killings of Jews took place in 1941.

Of the 70,000 Jews living in Latvia at the start of World War II, 95% were murdered during the German occupation.