Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot is facing extradition from Peru to the United States over his alleged extortion of Natalee Holloway's family after her disappearance.
In this file photo, Joran van der Sloot sits in the courtroom before his sentencing at San Pedro prison in Lima, Peru, Jan. 13, 2012.could soon be extradited from Peru to face criminal charges in the United States, ABC News has learned.
Van der Sloot's Peruvian attorney, Maximo Altez, told ABC News on Thursday that he plans to file a motion challenging the decision to temporarily extradite his client. Altez said he was not involved in the process and was surprised by the decision. He said his client, who currently remains at the Challapalca prison in southern Peru, is firmly opposed to the extradition and has never had the right to a fair defense.
Van der Sloot was identified as a suspect and detained weeks later but ultimately released without charge due to a lack of evidence. An Alabama judge laterNatalee Holloway dead, though her body was never found. No charges have been filed in the case. Prosecutors said van der Sloot then took Kelly to a nearby home and claimed that his father, who had since died, buried Natalee Holloway's body in the building's foundation. Van der Sloot parted ways with Kelly after the exchange and later emailed him saying the information he had provided was "worthless," according to prosecutors. Within days, van der Sloot had slipped away to Peru.
ABC News contributor and former FBI special agent Brad Garrett said there may have been economic or political concessions behind the agreement between Peru and the U.S., such as the lifting of sanctions. Either way, he said, van der Sloot's extradition "has big potential" for the Natalee Holloway case.
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