Former Nazi Helmut Oberlander died in Canada before the deportation hearings against him were concluded, the Canadian Press reported on Wednesday.
The 97-year-old died in his home surrounded by loved ones, according to a family statement obtained by the news agency.
Oberlander, who was a former interpreter for the Sonderkommando SS-10A death squad during WWII, has been embroiled in a legal battle with the Canadian government since 1995, when the authorities began trying to strip the Ukrainian-born ex-SS member of his citizenship, citing his failure to disclose his links to the death squads.
After a lengthy legal battle, Oberlander was stripped of his citizenship for the fourth time and final time in 2017.
Helmut Oberlander, Canada’s last Nazi-era suspect, dies at 97 https://t.co/aRBQf8IgcC pic.twitter.com/4aJ6tW8WRL
— carynmiller 🌻💙💛🕊 (@carynmiller2) September 23, 2021