US judge approves extradition of Salvadoran war crimes suspect to Spain

A US judge has cleared the way for a former Salvadoran colonel to face charges in Spain that he helped plan the 1989 slayings of six Jesuit priests during El Salvador’s civil war. The approval of extradition for Inocente Orlando Montano Morales marks a significant step in efforts to prosecute high-level Salvadoran military officials on […]

A US judge has cleared the way for a former Salvadoran colonel to face charges in Spain that he helped plan the 1989 slayings of six Jesuit priests during El Salvador’s civil war.
The approval of extradition for Inocente Orlando Montano Morales marks a significant step in efforts to prosecute high-level Salvadoran military officials on charges of murdering the priests, most of whom were Spanish natives.
Montano has been the only one within reach of Spanish authorities because of legal issues in El Salvador where most of them still live.
Federal magistrate judge Kimberly Swank ordered that US marshals take custody of Montano so he can be turned over to Spain, pending final approval by the State Department.
The step is largely seen as a formality because lawyers for the diplomatic agency had already reviewed the case before turning it over to federal prosecutors.