Moselle. A German indicted for a Nazi stele on his land

A 34-year-old man has been indicted after the discovery in January of a Nazi stele on the land he owns. The German, who surrendered himself, was placed under judicial control. The stele paid tribute to a Nazi division that took part in the mbadacre of Maille in 1944, where 124 inhabitants including 50 children lost their lives.

Six months after the discovery of a stele to the glory of Nazi soldiers on a ground private near Volmunster (Moselle), the owner of the parcel was indicted in early July for apology for crimes against humanity. The decision appears, it seems, after the appearance of a new element in the investigation.

The suspect, a 34-year-old German, surrendered himself to the convocation of the judge d instruction which placed him under judicial control. Last April, a search was carried out at his home under the authority of the German courts. Objects and computer data had been seized, reports The Republican Lorrain .

A stele to the glory of Nazi soldiers

In January, the discovery on its ground of a stele to the glory of a Nazi division, the 17th SS Panzergrenadier, had upset the region of Bitche, Moselle. The monument stood at the foot of a hedge in a meadow, and put forward the motto of these soldiers "Drauf, dran und durch" which means: "Forward, we go, head down ". The monument was quickly dismantled by the gendarmes and put under seal.

The 17th SS Panzergrenadier, to which the stele paid homage, is sadly known. The division is implicated in the mbadacre of Maillé, a small village in Indre-et-Loire. On August 25, 1944, 124 inhabitants including 50 children were shot dead, some at close range.