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German Authorities Investigating Validity of Nazi Doctor's Official Documents

German authorities have received original documents indicating the world's most-wanted Nazi fugitive died in Cairo in 1992, and are investigating their validity, an official said Friday.

The papers — personal musings, official documents and other items that allegedly belonged to SS doctor Aribert Heim — were turned over to the Baden Wuerttemberg state police office that has led the manhunt for the former Nazi for decades, spokesman Horst Haug said.

He told The Associated Press that the documents were turned over by "an attorney" but would not elaborate further. They were discovered by German television station ZDF and the New York Times in a Cairo hotel where Heim allegedly lived out the final years of his life before dying of intestinal cancer, but it was not clear if the media outlets had them in their possession.

The authenticity of the documents is now being checked by experts who are examining details like the age of the paper, the handwriting and fingerprints, Haug said.

He had no estimate on how long it could take to determine if they were genuine.



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