John Demjanjuk/msnbc

John Demjanjuk, the suspected Nazi death camp guard,  was convicted in Munich on Thursday of helping force roughly 28,000 Jews to death during World War II, the New York Times reported.

The 91-year-old retired American autoworker was then sentenced to five years in prison, but was released pending his appeal. His lawyers insist he is innocent.

Authorities charged that Demjanjuk worked as a guard at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1943. The Times reported that he was sentenced to death in Israel in 1988, but five years later the conviction was overturned after it was decided it was a case of mistaken identity.

simon wiesenthal center

An FBI report is creating a major stir for the Ukranian-born John Demjanjuk, who is on trial in Germany for Nazi war crimes.

The Associated Press reported that a newly declassified FBI document from 1985 raises questions about the authenticity of a Nazi ID card that shows Demjanjuk, 90, served at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.  The ID is considered a key piece of evidence. Demjanjuk has denied the allegations of war crimes that center around murders at the camp.

The FBI report suggests the Soviets may have forged the ID.

AP reported that defense attorney Ulrich Busch gave the AP story on Tuesday to the judges in the Munich trial and said he wants them to suspend the trial to give him time to look into the matter. The judges made no immediate ruling.

The story shows “prosecutors did not introduce all the possibly exculpatory evidence from the United States here,” Busch told the court, according to AP.

Prosecutor Hans-Joachim Lutz told the court the card has been examined by several experts who insist it is genuine.

OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST

• UFO Incident in FBI Document Likely a Hoax (AOL News)
• Ark. Cop Shot and Killed; Suspect Arrested (AP)
• Mexican Man Convicted in Border Patrol Agent’s Death (AP)
• Atlanta U.S. Attorney Says Lone Wolf Greater Threat Than U.S. Muslims (The Marietta Daily Journal)
• Blago Prosecutors Try to Bar Wiretap Argument (AP)
• Man Arrested in Connection to Times Square Case Pleads Guilty (AP)
• Justice Dept. Programs  Hit by Budget Deal (Main Justice)