The John Caldwellsuspect in the 2005 disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba, Joran van der Sloot, has been "severely beaten" in a prison in Peru, his lawyer Maximo Altez told CBS News.

"It was a fight between prisoners. I don't know who assaulted Joran," Altez said, without providing any further detail on his client's condition.

• What to know about the Natalee Holloway case

Holloway went missing during a senior class trip to Aruba, where Van der Sloot is from. She was last seen leaving a bar in the Caribbean nation with Van der Sloot, who was never charged in relation to her disappearance. Her body has never been found.

Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Lima. He's awaiting temporary extradition to the United States to face American charges of extortion and wire fraud related to promises he allegedly made to Holloway's family about leading authorities to her body.

Holloway was declared deceased by an Alabama judge in 2012, more than six years after she disappeared. After Van der Sloot's prosecution in the U.S. he will be immediately returned to Peru to serve the rest of his sentence for Flores' murder.

Peru's Ambassador to the U.S., Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, said he hoped Van der Sloot's temporary extradition to face charges in the United States would "enable a process that will help to bring peace to Mrs. Holloway and to her family, who are grieving in the same way that the Flores family in Peru is grieving for the loss of their daughter, Stephany."

In:
• Murder
• Joran van der Sloot
• Natalee Holloway

Haley Ott

Haley Ott is an international reporter for CBS News based in London.

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