Joran van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway suspect was seen smiling in the latest photo as he prepared to leave Peru on Thursday morning, en route to the United States, flanked by FBI agents.

Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in May 2005 in Aruba during a senior trip with Mountain Brook High School, Alabama.

Van der Sloot got on a plane that took off shortly before 8:00 a.m. from Jorge Chavez International Airport, according to van der Sloot’s lawyer, Maximo Altez. The extradition is taking place after Peruvian courts failed to act on multiple appeals filed by the accused to stop him from coming to the US. He is expected to arrive in Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday afternoon.

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According to a photo obtained by Fox News Digital, Van der Sloot was seen smiling as authorities handcuffed him and made him wear the Interpol protective jacket.

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.” The Dutch national is to be transported to the United States in order to face federal charges, after the approval of Peruvian officials.

Till Thursday, Van der Sloot was being held in a Peruvian prison for the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in 2010. Van der Sloot was initially sentenced to 28 years in prison for his crime. However, more time was added to his sentence because of a drug smuggling scandal he was involved in while in jail.

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The body of Natalee Holloway hasn’t been found. Van der Sloot pleaded guilty to killing Flores In January 2012, the same month that Natalee Holloway was legally declared dead.

He also allegedly attempted to sell Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mother, information regarding the location of her daughter’s body for which he faces charges of extortion and wire fraud in the United States.

Federal prosecutors say van der Sloot asked for $250,000 in total for the information, out of which $25,000 was to be paid upfront. The rest was to be paid out when the body of Natalee Holloway was positively identified.