After Germany's defeat in 1945, Eichmann fled to Austria. He lived there
until 1950, when he moved to Argentina using false papers. Information
collected by the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, confirmed Eichmann's location in 1960. A team of Mossad and Shin Bet agents captured Eichmann and brought him to Israel to stand trial on 15 criminal charges, including war crimes, crimes against humanity,
and crimes against the Jewish people. Found guilty on many of these
charges, he was sentenced to death by hanging and executed on 31 May
1962. The trial was widely followed in the media and was later the
subject of several books, including Hannah Arendt's work, Eichmann in Jerusalem.
Arendt calls him the embodiment of the "banality of evil", asserting
that he appeared to be ordinary and sane, yet displayed neither guilt
nor hatred. Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal
said: "The world now understands the concept of 'desk murderer'. We
know that one doesn't need to be fanatical, sadistic, or mentally ill to
murder millions; that it is enough to be a loyal follower eager to do
one's duty."[1]
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