károly szabó an employee on the swedish embassy in budapest attracted exceptional attention on december 24, 1944 as hungarian arrow cross party members occupied the embassy building on gyopár street. he rescued 36 kidnapped employees from the budapest ghetto. this action attracted raoul wallenberg's interest. he agreed to meet szabó's influential friend, pál szalai, a high-ranking member of the police force the meeting was in the night of december 26. this meeting was preparation to save the budapest ghetto in january 1945.