Aruba Suspects Accused of Taking Sex Photos of Another Girl
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The mother of a Dutch suspect held in the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway (search) said her son was innocent of new allegations that he and three friends took pictures of another girl in "tempting poses."
Anita van der Sloot said the new allegations showed prosecutors were desperate and did not have evidence to link her 18-year-old son to Holloway's disappearance.
"It's a desperate attempt to get the boys to talk," she said. "But there is nothing to talk about. Nobody takes this nonsense seriously."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Joran van der Sloot (search) was arrested June 9 along with two friends, Surinamese nationals Satish Kalpoe (search), 18, and Deepak Kalpoe (search), 21, on suspicion of involvement in Holloway's disappearance.
The Kalpoe brothers were released July 4 and rearrested last week with a friend of the three young men, Freddy Alexander Zedan-Arambatzis (search), 21.
Zedan-Arambatzis, who is not suspected of involvement in the Holloway case, is accused of taking photos of a minor female in "tempting poses" and of showing the photos to other people, said his lawyer, Diana Emerencia. He is also suspected of having unspecified "physical contact" with the girl, she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The Kalpoe brothers and van der Sloot are also suspected of involvement in the incident, which allegedly occurred before Holloway disappeared, Emerencia said.
Van der Sloot's lawyer, Antonio Carlo, said prosecutors introduced two allegations of a "sexual nature" during a hearing Wednesday on whether to keep the Dutch teen detained for another 30 days. Carlo did not specify what the allegations were.
The judge has until Sept. 3 to decide whether to prolong van der Sloot's detention. Suspects can be held for 116 days without charge in the Dutch Caribbean territory. If the judge orders van der Sloot to remain held, prosecutors will have 30 days to charge him, or he must be freed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Anita van der Sloot said her son and his friends were present when the photos were taken by another friend, whom she did not identify. She denied the photos were of a sexual nature or that her son and his friends had sexual contact with the girl.
"It's a lovely picture of a young girl in a bikini," she said.
Prosecutors also asked the judge Wednesday to order the Kalpoe brothers held for another eight days, the prosecutor's office said in a statement Thursday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Attempts to contact prosecutors for further comment were unsuccessful.
"I believe in the judicial system of my country. I believe in my son's innocence," Anita van der Sloot said. "If the decision is not in his favor, we'll just take it from there."
Eighteen-year-old Holloway, of Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen May 30 leaving a bar with the Kalpoes and van der Sloot, hours before she was to end a vacation celebrating her graduation. Extensive searches have produced no sign of her.