Swiss Authorities Tipped Off US To Roman Polanski Visit

Newly released documents show that Swiss authorities set in motion the arrest of fugitive director Roman Polanski.

A series of e-mails obtained by The Associated Press show that the Swiss tipped off their U.S. counterparts about Polanski’s imminent arrival at a Zurich film festival.

The Sept. 22 tip culminated four days later with Polanski’s arrest.

U.S. authorities had declined to say how they learned of Polanski’s trip to Zurich, but a public records request shows the information came from the Swiss Federal Office of Justice.

The new details again raise the question of why Switzerland decided to go after Polanski now, even though the 76-year-old director was a frequent visitor to that nation.