Why it matters: He faces charges in the U.S.
Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch citizen, is being extradited to the United States to be charged with wire fraud and extortion related to the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba. Van der Sloot was accused of trying to extract $250,000 from Ms. Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, in return for information on Natalee’s whereabouts. Prosecutors said he had provided false information and received $25,000 from Beth Holloway. The United States has not accused van der Sloot of involvement in Natalee’s disappearance or death.
Although van der Sloot had initially agreed to the extradition, he recently tried to appeal the decision, but Peruvian authorities have allowed him to be temporarily extradited to the U.S.
According to his lawyer, Maximo Altez, van der Sloot changed his mind after meeting with Dutch diplomats in Peru. However, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the case’s specifics.
Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of a Peruvian student, Stephany Flores, whom he met at a casino.
Background: A Long-Lasting Unsolved Mystery.
Natalee Holloway was 18 when she vanished on May 30, 2005, during a school trip to Aruba. Despite numerous search operations, she was never found. In 2012, a judge declared her legally dead. The case remains unsolved and has attracted widespread public interest in the United States, including coverage by the media, true-crime books, and movies.
While van der Sloot has never confessed to involvement in Natalee’s disappearance, he featured in a 2008 sting operation for a Dutch television show. In the program, he heavily suggested knowledge of what happened to Natalee but did not confess to killing her.
He was asked if he thought anyone would ever find Natalee.
“No,” van der Sloot replied. “Never to be found.”
