Nazi hunters give authorities names of four suspects

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre said today it had passed the names of four suspected former Nazi criminals to German authorities so that they can be brought to justice before they die.

A statement from the centre did not identify any of the four, but said they were accused of crimes including “murder in concentration camps or taking part in shootings.”

The names were the first results of Operation Last Chance, a drive launched this year by the centre to track down former Nazis for World War II-era crimes before they die of old age.

The centre, named after the late Nazi hunter and concentration camp survivor Simon Wiesenthal, said it had received 150 telephone calls as well as emails and faxes with tips on suspects who have evaded prosecution.

It said it had filtered out 50 names and that the head of the centre, Efraim Zuhoff, had passed four “promising” cases to German investigators.

It said more names would follow shortly.