BIRMINGHAM/ ARUBA – Journalist and attorney Greta Van Susteren claims the FBI mishandled a 2010 sting operation involving Joran van der Sloot, allowing him to leave Aruba with $25,000 before murdering Stephany Flores in Peru two weeks later.
According to Van Susteren, Van der Sloot confessed during the undercover operation to killing Natalee Holloway while extorting her mother, Beth Holloway. Despite the recorded confession and evidence, he was not arrested.
She argues that U.S. authorities could have immediately charged him with extortion and wire fraud and sought his arrest, but failed to do so. Van Susteren believes that failure allowed Van der Sloot to flee to Peru, where he killed Stephany Flores on the fifth anniversary of Holloway's disappearance.
Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for Flores' murder and also received a 20-year U.S. sentence for extortion and wire fraud against Beth Holloway.