Demjanjuk Banged Up in Bumpy Ride
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JERUSALEM — Retired U.S. auto worker John Demjanjuk, accused of being death camp guard “Ivan the Terrible,” arrived at court sobbing today after getting banged up during a bumpy ride inside a van bringing him to his war crimes trial, witnesses said.
A doctor who examined Demjanjuk, 67, said the burly defendant was only slightly shaken up. He was excused from today’s session.
Israeli army radio said Demjanjuk banged his shoulder against the side of the prison van during the winding, uphill ride to Jerusalem from Ayalon Prison in Ramleh, a town on the coastal plain about 35 miles west of Jerusalem.
“He was sobbing almost like a baby,” said an Israeli official who watched Demjanjuk as he gingerly climbed out of the van.
Demjanjuk has been kept in a special closed cell at Ayalon Prison since the United States extradited him to Israel Feb. 28, 1986, to stand trial on charges he sent thousands of Jews and others to their deaths in Nazi gas chambers during World War II.
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