Polish police find stolen Auschwitz gate sign

[David]

AP


WARSAW, Poland – Police said early Monday that they have found the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign that was stolen on Friday from the gate of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz.

Police spokeswoman Katarzyna Padlo said that the sign was found in northern Poland. She said police also detained five men aged between 25 and 39 who are being transported them to Krakow for questioning.

Padlo said the steel sign, which symbolizes to the world the atrocities and cruelty of Nazi Germany, has been cut into three pieces.

The sign that topped a main gate at the Auschwitz memorial site was stolen before dawn on Friday. State authorities made finding it a priority and appealed to all Poles for assistance.

More than 1 million people, mostly Jews, died at Auschwitz which Nazi Germany built in occupied Poland during World War II.