This announcement came just hours after the Peruvian government confirmed that the extradition would take place on Thursday.
Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway, has decided to challenge his extradition to the United States
Altez stated that van der Sloot changed his mind after a meeting with Dutch diplomats who made him realize the mistake he was making by being extradited without due process. The attorney revealed that his client intended to file a writ of habeas corpus.
Altez claimed that van der Sloot was never informed of an ongoing extradition process, which prevented him from challenging it. Interestingly, less than a week ago, the defense attorney stated that his client did not plan to contest the extradition. The Peruvian Foreign Ministry stated that they had not received any complaints from the Netherlands regarding the case, while the embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Van der Sloot, who is currently serving a 28-year sentence for the murder of a Peruvian woman, was severely beaten in a prison fight last week, according to Altez. He was transferred from a prison in the Andes to a corrections facility in Lima, and custody will be handed over to Interpol on Thursday morning before being taken to the airport for his journey to the US.
The Peruvian government had previously announced the temporary transfer of custody of van der Sloot to the US to face trial for extortion and wire fraud charges
The charges filed in Alabama accuse him of attempting to extort money from the Holloway family in exchange for information about Natalee’s whereabouts. Holloway, who was 18 years old at the time, disappeared during a trip to Aruba, and van der Sloot was the last person seen with her. Although her body was never found, a judge declared her dead.
Van der Sloot was also arrested in Peru in 2010 for the murder of Stephany Flores, which occurred five years after Holloway’s disappearance. He pleaded guilty to Flores’ murder in 2012. Peru’s ambassador to the US expressed hope that van der Sloot’s extradition would bring peace to both the Holloway and Flores families.
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