Joran van der Sloot leaves Peruvian prison, headed to airport before being handed to FBI
Joran van der Sloot is shown at Peru airport with authorities before heading to the United States. (Col. Carlos López Aeda for Fox News Digital)
Joran van der Sloot left a prison in Lima, Peru, on Thursday morning and is headed to Jorge Chavez International Airport, where he'll be handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation before heading to the United States.
Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the May 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba during a Mountain Brook High School, Alabama, senior trip. He's facing federal charges relating to an alleged extortion scheme connected to her disappearance.
He's scheduled to be temporarily transferred to the United States on Thursday, barring any last-minute court decisions that would block his journey to the United States.
Van der Sloot was being held in Ancón 1 Prison, which is located just outside of Lima.
Joran van der Sloot is shown at Peru airport with authorities before heading to the United States. (Col. Carlos López Aeda for Fox News Digital)
Maximo Altez, a lawyer for van der Sloot, filed a last-ditch appeal on Wednesday, attempting to stop his client from coming to the United States.
Altez also told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the Peruvian court hasn't yet denied his habeas corpus petition filed on Tuesday.
The habeas corpus petition by Altez says his client wasn't notified by Peruvian officials of the "temporary extradition" process that was ongoing against him, which Altez contends is a "serious constitutional violation."
Joran van der Sloot is shown at Peru airport with authorities before heading to the United States. (Col. Carlos López Aeda for Fox News Digital)
On Wednesday, a Peruvian court ordered the director of Ancón 1 Prison to notify van der Sloot of the upcoming transfer.
Van der Sloot was being held in a Peruvian prison for the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in 2010. He was originally sentenced to 28 years in prison for the killing, but more time was added because of a drug smuggling scandal he was involved in while in jail.
Joran van der Sloot is shown at Peru airport with authorities before heading to the United States. (Col. Carlos López Aeda for Fox News Digital)
He's facing charges of extortion and wire fraud in the U.S. after he allegedly tried to sell Beth Holloway, Natalee's mother, information regarding the location of her daughter's body in March 2010.
Federal prosecutors say van der Sloot asked for $250,000 — $25,000 upfront for the information and the rest to be paid out when the body of Natalee Holloway was positively identified.
Natalee Holloway was last seen alive in Aruba while on a Mountain Brook high school senior trip. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
However, van der Sloot lied to Beth Holloway's lawyer, John Q. Kelly, about where her daughter's remains were located, according to American prosecutors.
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