War criminal Priebke’s body ‘moved’ to secret location

(ANSA) – Rome, November 1 – The body of Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke has been moved from a military airport near Rome to a secret location, Italian daily Il Messaggero reported Friday.

The former SS officer’s body was taken to the Pratica di Mare airport last month for public-order reasons after a funeral performed near the capital by an ultra-traditionalist breakaway Catholic group was hit by clashes between protestors and neo-Nazis.

Priebke died aged 100 last month while living under Rome house arrest for the reprisal killing of 335 Roman men and boys in 1944.

His chaos-hit funeral ceremony was held outside Rome after City and Church authorities refused permission for it to be held here. Il Messaggero speculated that his body may have been taken to Germany or to the northern Italian province of Alto Adige, where the majority of the population is of Austro-Bavarian heritage and speaks German.