Joran van der Sloot: Natalee Holloway suspect to be extradited to the United States from Peru

Convicted murderer Joran van der Sloot is close to being extradited to the United States to face criminal charges related to the Natalee Holloway case.

"I think he will be extradited within the next three months," van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Altez told Reuters.

A Peruvian judge approved the request from the US government asking for van der Sloot's "provisional detention," which is the first step in the international extradition process, according to Reuters. The American government now has 60 days to submit a forma extradition request and supporting documents to Peru's government, as the extradition treaty between the two countries states. 

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Van der Sloot was sentenced in January to 28 years in prison by Peruvian judges for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores, a woman he met in a Lima casino, reported CNN. The prime suspect in the Natalee Holloway case will be charged in the US for extortion and wire fraud in connection to the disappearance of the American teenager in 2005. He is said to have received $25,000 from Holloway's mother to tell her where to find the remains of her daughter, according to Fox News.

Altez told Fox News van der Sloot is afraid of extradition because US prisons are known for being "very hard" on inmates.

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