AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) – An 18-year-old Dutch man who had been held by police on the Caribbean island of Aruba in connection with the disappearance of an American tourist arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Joran van der Sloot and his father arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, ignored questions from reporters, and quickly departed. The 18-year-old was to attend college in Holland, his mother said.

Van der Sloot, a resident of Aruba, and two Surinamese brothers who were suspects in the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway were released on condition they remain available to police.

Holloway was last seen May 30, on the last day of her high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island, leaving a bar with van der Sloot and the two brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe.

The three were arrested June 9 on suspicion of involvement in Holloway’s disappearance. All denied any connection to the disappearance. Van der Sloot acknowledged spending the evening before with Holloway, but denied any wrongdoing.

The release of all three suspects on Saturday was a serious setback to the prosecution. Police insist the investigation into Holloway’s widely publicized disappearance will continue, but legal observers in Aruba say the release indicates the government has no case.

Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, left Aruba for her home in Mountain Brook, Ala., on Sunday, saying she had “exhausted all my avenues” after pressuring authorities since shortly after her daughter’s disappearance.


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