Artukovic’s Hearing Postponed

A long-awaited extradition hearing for alleged Nazi war criminal Andrija Artukovic was postponed today after doctors at Long Beach Naval Hospital reported the 85-year-old defendant was medically unavailable to appear. U.S. Magistrate Volney Brown had said earlier that he would delay the hearing if Artukovic was ill or unable to understand what was going on.

“He would not communicate with me,” said a Navy doctor, Lt. Cmdr. David Hill, who has been treating Artukovic and was assigned to evaluate his competence to appear in court. He said the elderly man had been talking to him and answering questions until today, when he remained silent.