Auschwitz sign thieves not neo-Nazis -Polish police

KRAKOW, Poland Dec 21 (Reuters) - Five men detained over the theft of the metal sign that hung over the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz acted from financial motives and were not members of a neo-Nazi group, Polish police said on Monday. The theft, which occurred last Friday, triggered worldwide condemnation, especially from Israel and Jewish groups. Polish authorities made the recovery of the sign, which reads "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work makes you free"), a top priority.

"We can say that none of the five are members of a neo-Nazi group ... Their intent was undoubtedly robbery-related. We will be able to decide later whether the crime was ordered or whether they acted on their own initiative," Andrzej Rokita, district police chief in the city of Krakow, told a news conference. (Reporting by Wojciech Zurawski, writing by Gareth Jones; editing by David Stamp)