Eldest Brother of Ceausescu Found Hanged

The family that helped Nicolae Ceausescu rule Romania for 24 years was in ruins Thursday--its leading members dead by firing squad, a brother hanged by his own hand and several other relatives under arrest.

Marin Ceausescu, 74, the eldest brother of the deposed dictator, was found hanged in the trade section of the Romanian Embassy in Vienna on Thursday, an apparent suicide, Vienna police said.

A sister and her son also were reported arrested Thursday in Romania, bringing to at least seven the number of family members known to be under arrest and awaiting trial.

Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed by a firing squad on Monday after a trial by the revolutionary government found them guilty of grave crimes against Romania.

Marin Ceausescu had been active as a trade counselor here since 1973. The Vienna daily Kurier, citing unspecified sources in the new Romanian government, alleged Thursday that Marin “managed the Romanian secret service headquarters for Western Europe in Vienna.”

The claim could not be confirmed.

Nicolae Ceausescu was overthrown on Dec. 22 by a mass uprising backed by the army. He mistrusted many, and he was believed to have put at least 40 of his relatives in power to help him maintain his oppressive rule.

Elena Ceausescu was a member of the now-disbanded Politburo and the first deputy premier, the second-most powerful person in the nation.

Ceausescu’s two other brothers, Ilie, an army general and deputy defense minister, and Nicolae Andruta, a police general and deputy interior minister, were captured the day their brother was deposed and have since been in detention.

Romanian soldiers and police on Thursday arrested Ceausescu’s sister, Elena Barbulescu, and her son, Emil, as they were hiding out in Ceausescu’s hometown of Scornicesti, the official Romanian news agency Agerpres reported.

Also arrested with them was Ilie’s wife. The news agency did not give her first name.

Checks worth about $50,000 and about $3,600 worth of Romanian currency were found in Elena Barbulescu’s possession, said Agerpres.

Ceausescu’s youngest son, Nicu, and daughter, Zoia-Elena, have been in custody since last week.