The former head of a secretive German colony in southern Chile was flown to Santiago early Sunday after his arrest in Argentina.
Paul Schaefer, who founded the commune-like enclave in 1961, is accused in the disappearance of a dissident under dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet ruled from 1973-1990.
Schaefer, 83, also faces charges of sexually abusing children at the colony, Colonia Dignidad, or Dignity Colony, 245 miles south of Santiago. He was arrested Thursday near the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.
Chilean Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza thanked the Argentine government for expelling Schaefer from its territory, avoiding a lengthy extradition process, according to <i>The AP</i>.
Schaefer was flown from Buenos Aires in a jet provided by the Chilean government. He was taken by ambulance to an undisclosed police station pending his appearance before a judge on Monday.
The colony leaders were repeatedly accused of cooperating with Pinochet's feared security services, and allowing its sprawling facilities to be used as a center for detention, torture and even execution.
The German leaders of the colony denied the accusations, calling them part of a communist-inspired smear campaign. The colony was self-supporting with its own hospital, school and farm. Almost from the beginning, Schaefer and his aides were accused of keeping more than 300 German and Chilean residents against their will.
