Austria tries to seize house where Hitler was born

The Austrian government hopes to expropriate the house where dictator Adolf Hitler was born in order to keep it from falling into the hands of neo-Nazi groups.

The country's Interior Ministry said it is looking into the legal basis by which it could seize the building, located in the town of Braunau am Inn, near the German border.

The house has been rented from a private by the government for decades has served as a library and school in that time.

State attempts to purchase it have so far failed, but the ministry says the owner would be compensated should the property be expropriated.

The building has been vacant since 2011 and it is not yet clear how long an expropriation will take.