MINNESOTA - A court in eastern Poland has issued an arrest warrant for a Minnesota man sought in a Nazi massacre, opening the way for Poland to seek his extradition from the United States.

The Associated Press had previously identified the man as 98-year-old Michael Karkoc, an ex-commander in an SS-led unit that burned Polish villages and killed civilians in World War II.

Earlier this week, prosecutors said evidence shows that American citizen Michael K. was a commander of a unit in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defense Legion that raided Polish villages. They sought an arrest warrant from a court in eastern Poland.

Judge Dariusz Abamowicz said Wednesday the court has issued a warrant after concluding that there is "high probability" the suspect committed war crimes listed by the prosecutors.

Karkoc's son, Andriy Karkoc, says the family is calling on the judge to release any evidence that may implicate his father. He says if prosecutors have no proof, the arrest warrant is meaningless.

The son also pointed out that German prosecutors declined in 2015 to seek Karkoc's extradition, concluding he was unfit to stand trial.