Swedish ex-Nazi claims he helped police find stolen Auschwitz sign

A Swedish former leader of his country's Nazi party on Friday claimed he helped police find the stolen entrance sign to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland.

Five men have been remanded in custody in Poland on suspicion of organizing and carrying out the December 18 theft of the sign, which reads "Arbeit Macht Frei" or "Work Sets You Free."

"I passed on information to the police leading to the arrests, and preventing possible terrorism acts," Anders Hogstrom told the Aftonbladet newspaper, DPA reported.

Earlier this week a Polish prosecutor said he wanted help from Swedish authorities to question two Swedish nationals in connection with the theft - but did not identify Hogstrom.

Polish police announced the recovery of the sign on December 20. It had been defaced and cut into three pieces, allegedly in preparation for shipment to a buyer.

Poland - facing huge international embarrassment over the theft - had declared a state of national emergency and put all airports, ports and border guards on full alert in a bid to recover the sign.

The sign hung over the gate of the death camp, where 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were murdered during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II.

Hogstrom told Aftonbladet and its Stockholm rival Expressen that he had been asked to transport the sign between two locations, and also contact a buyer who was prepared to pay several million kronor.

The money was according to Aftonbladet to be used to fund Nazi activities.

Hogstrom, 34, told Expressen that he was innocent and "did not have anything to to do with Nazis."

He was 1999 identified as a leader of the Swedish Nazi party Nationalsocialist Front (NSF) when when four Swedish newspapers jointly published names and photos of 62 members of extreme right-wing groups and criminal gangs.

A week after the publication, Hogstrom publicly said he had left the NSF.

The NSF party was disbanded in 2008, but the Expo magazine that tracks racist and right-wing extremist groups said the move was a diversion.

Expo was co-founded by the late Swedish journalist and best-selling crime writer Stieg Larsson.