Congressmen honour hero of Budapest

Delegates from the US Congress descended on Budapest in late February to honour one of the most remarkable figures of the 2nd World War.

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who was born a hundred years ago, is credited with saving approximately 100,000 Hungarian Jews during the Nazi occupation.

Yet far from being hailed a saviour at the end of the war, Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets and was never seen by his family again.

Raoul Wallenberg is one of those people that throughout history is very, very rare, said Republican Representative Dan Burton, as quoted by Associated Press.

He risked his life, saved over 100,000 people and paid dearly for it.

Wallenberg arrived in Budapest in July 1944, four months after the Nazis occupied the country.

By the time that the Swede entered the country, the Nazis had already deported approximately 400,000 Jews to the death camps of occupied Poland.

Wallenberg issued Swedish papers to thousands of Jews, housing many in rented buildings under the banner of diplomatic immunity.

When the Soviets took Budapest who was arrested under suspicion of being an American spy. Officially, he died of a heart attack in 1947, whilst in prison.

However, many family members and historians refuse to accept this version of events, with allegations of execution regularly raised.