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Luitjens Extradited
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Amsterdam (JTA) — After a
deportation procedure in
Canada that spanned a
decade, Nazi collaborator
Jacob Luitjens was
extradited to Holland last
week, where he was immed-
iately transferred to jail.
Mr. Luitjens, a 73-year-old
retired botany instructor,
lost his struggle to remain in
Canada. He was expelled be-
cause he had lied about his
past, which included convic-
tion in absentia in Holland
for war crimes.
After failing to appeal a
deportation order issued
Nov. 23, Mr. Luitjens was
picked up at his home by
Canadian immigration offi-
cials and taken to Van-
couver International Airport
for the flight to Holland.
Dutch authorities arrested
Mr. Luitjens as soon as he
arrived. His arrest was
covered widely by the Dutch
media.
His extradition was hailed
by Jewish groups, such as
the Simon Wiesenthal
Center. Sol Littman, direc-
tor of its Canadian office in
Toronto, emphasized that
"the Dutch 'government has
never lost interest in the
case."
Dutch special prosecutor
Marquart Scholz said a cell
had been prepared for Mr.
Luitjens in the regional
holding center in Groningen,
which is very close to his na-
tive village of Roden.
There, Mr. Luitjens was a
member of the Landwacht, a
local police force established
by the Nazis to round up
Jews and resistance fighters.
Mr. Luitjens was arrested
in 1945 immediately after
Holland was liberated from
the Nazis. He managed to
escape in 1947 from the
detention camp where he
was held and fled to
Paraguay.
In the Netherlands, he was
sentenced to a life term in
absentia by a special
tribunal for having been a
member of the Dutch Nazi
police.
In 1961 he arrived in
Canada, where he became a
lecturer in botany at the
University of Vancouver. In
1971 he applied for and
received Canadian citizen-
ship.
Some years later, he was
recognized by someone from
his native region. Dutch au-
thorities tried to have him
extradited, but since he was

a Canadian citizen, this was
impossible.
There was also no extradi-
tion treaty between the two
countries, a matter that was
rectified last December with
the signing of such a treaty.
Earlier this year, Canada
revoked Mr. Luitjens' Cana-
dian citizenship on the
grounds that he lied to au-
thorities about his past.
Mr. Luitjens' brother has
submitted a request for a
royal pardon. If that fails,
Mr. Luitjens is expected to
appeal his conviction by
claiming it was an illegal
sentence because he was not
present for the proceedings.
Mr. Luitjens' deportation
came just hours before B'nai
B'rith Canada issued a 94-
page report expressing its
concern over Canada's
failure to prosecute suc-
cessfully known war
criminals residing in the
country.
Canada's war-crimes law
is five years old. "We have to
look at the results," said
David Matas, a spokesman
for B'nai B'rith Canada and
another of the 1987 book on
the subject, Justice Delayed:
Nazi War Criminals in
Canada.
Two criminal cases were
dropped for lack of evidence.
Two civil prosecutions
resulted in deportation —
that of Mr. Luitjens and
Albert Rauca, who was
extradited to West Germany
in May 1983.

.

Soldier Wounded
On Lookout

Tel Aviv (JTA) — An Israeli
soldier sustained a minor
head wound when unknown
assailants fired from Jorda-
nian territory at an army
lookout post southeast of
Lake Tiberias.
The shots were fired at
army guards about a mile
south of kibbutz Ashdod
Ya'acov in the Beit She'an
Valley.
Army sources said Jorda-
nian authorities appeared to
be making great efforts to
prevent or reduce cross-
border incidents.
Area residents said there
had been several attempts in
the past to infiltrate Israel
by crossing the Jordan river
at this point, as well as some
cases of isolated shots being
fired across the border.

c,