Austria: Hitler impersonator arrested for appearing in the Nazi leader's home town

A man who appeared in public dressed to appear like Adolf Hitler was arrested Monday, 13 February by police in the northern Austrian town of Ried im Innkreis. The impersonator of the Nazi leader had appeared several times in Hitler's birthplace as well, the Austrian Press Agency reported on 14 February.

The 25-year-old man imitated Hiter's hairstyle, mustache and uniform. It is a crime in Austria to celebrate the Nazi dictator.

The man is now in custody. He did not resist arrest, according to a spokesperson for the Upper Austrian Police, who said their assessment was that the man was not in his right mind.

The arrested man had also been seen in front of Hitler's childhood home in the small upper Austrian town of Braunau am Inn. However, he seems to have preferred to undertake his provocations in Graz and Vienna, according to the website of the Austrian daily Kurier.

A spokerson for the Prosecutor-General, who ordeed the man's arrest, said the impersonator had apparently also given a television interview. Last year in December the Austrian Parliament approved the expropriation of Hitler's childhood home.

The Government wants to demolish the building so neo-Nazis will not be attracted to it. The owner, however, is defending her position at the Constitutional Court.