ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP):
AN ANNOUNCEMENT that police made an arrest in the dis-appearance of teenager Natalee Holloway left many islanders wondering yesterday who the suspect is and whether the arrest marked a real breakthrough in the almost year-old case.
Aruban authorities would only say late Saturday that the person arrested is 19 years old and has the initials G.V.C. In Aruba, when an arrest is announced, officials usually release only a suspect's initials.
Antonio Carlo, attorney for Dutch national Joran van der Sloot, who was arrested last year but then released for lack of evidence, said he hoped the new arrest would shed light on what happened to Holloway, an honours student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who dis-appeared on May 30. It was the final night of the 18-year-old's trip to the Dutch Caribbean island.
"My client has from the beginning maintained his innocence, and I think the sooner this case is resolved, the better," Carlo told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, adding that he did not know the name of the suspect.
Holloway's father, Dave Holloway, said Sunday he has been informed of the arrested person's identity but did not recognise the name.
"We're hopeful that something will come out of it," Holloway told CNN.
Holloway was last seen leaving an Aruba bar with van der Sloot and Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. Van der Sloot has said he left Holloway on a beach near her hotel after they had kissed.
Mariaine Croes, a spokes-woman for the public prosecutor's office, said Saturday that Aruban authorities were not prepared to disclose why the person was arrested or how the arrest was linked to the Holloway case.
