Peruvian Authorities Grant Temporary Extradition of Joran van der Sloot to US in Connection with Natalee Holloway Disappearance Case

Peruvian authorities have issued an order allowing Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, to be temporarily extradited to the United States. Van der Sloot, a Dutch man, has been serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for unrelated charges.

The extradition is in connection with a federal case against van der Sloot for allegedly plotting to extort money from Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway. Van der Sloot was investigated in the case of Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old from Mountain Brook, Alabama who went missing in Aruba in 2005 while on vacation with her high school friends.

Van der Sloot’s attorney, Maximo Altez, has said he plans to fight the order. However, Holloway’s mother expressed her gratitude to U.S. and Peruvian authorities for delivering van der Sloot to American soil, where she believes he will “answer for his crimes.”

“I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life for 18 years, and as of this month, I have been without her for exactly 18 years,” Holloway said in a statement Wednesday. “She would be 36 years old now.”

The extradition of van der Sloot has brought the mystery surrounding Natalee Holloway’s disappearance back into the spotlight. It is unclear when the extradition will take place, or if it will be successful.