SEATTLE (AP) -- The Justice Department has asked a federal court to revoke the citizenship of an 86-year-old Bellevue man, saying he served in a Nazi unit that slaughtered 17,000 Serbian civilians during World War II.

A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday said Peter Egner, a native of Yugoslavia, served as a guard and interpreter with the Nazi-controlled Security Police and Security Service in Belgrade, Serbia, from April 1941 to September 1943.

He lived in West Linn condominum for a number of years before moving to Washington.

The Justice Department says he did not divulge that information when he immigrated to the United States in 1960 or when he gained his citizenship in 1966.

Reached by telephone at his home, Egner confirmed his identity to The Associated Press, but said he was unaware of the complaint.

Asked about his alleged service with the Nazis, he said: "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sorry. Bye."