'Butcher of Genoa' gets prison term

BERLIN (JTA) — A former Nazi SS officer was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the massacre of 59 Italian prisoners in World War II.

Friedrich Engel, also known as the "Butcher of Genoa," was found guilty in a German court last week of ordering the murders in 1944. Engel, 93, maintained he was a passive observer and did not supervise the executions. Engel expressed regret for the massacre but insisted the killings were justified by the rules of war.