SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Accused Nazi war criminal Andrija Artukovic has been secretly transferred from the a Naval Hospital in Long Beach, Calif., to the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, said a medical center spokesman.
Artukovic arrived at the medical center in Springfield, Mo., Friday, said officer Ken Miller.
Federal prosecutors requested the transfer over the objections of Artukovic's family because they said it will save about $35,000 a month in hospital costs while he awaits extradition to Yugoslavia.
He said Artukovic's family was not notified of the transfer. His son has expressed fears the transfer may kill his father, who is legally blind and has suffered a stroke.
The ailing 85-year-old Artukovic, who was ordered extradited to face a single murder charge, was flown to Springfield aboard a chartered government plane, said U.S. Marshal Julio Gonzalez.
'We moved him with no problem whatsoever,' Gonzalez said. 'He was very polite, very accomodating.'
Gonzalez said Artukovic's plane took off about 6 a.m. PST and arrived in Missouri before 10 a.m. PST
The Yugoslavian government has accused Artukovic of supervising the murders of 770,000 Jews, Serbs and Gypsies while Croatia's interior minister.
U.S. Magistrate Volney Brown Jr. ruled Tuesday he did not have the power to block the government's plans to move Artukovic.
The accused mass murderer will remain in Springfield while the government determines if he can be extradited to Yugoslavia on any additional murder charges.
Artukovic's attorneys will appeal Brown's extradition ruling and the appeals process could take up to two years.
