Ex-Salvadoran colonel fights extradition in Jesuit killings

Published April 01, 2016

A former Salvadoran colonel is fighting a decision to extradite him on charges of helping plan the 1989 slayings of six Jesuit priests during El Salvador's civil war.

Lawyers for Orlando Montano Morales filed a petition Friday asking a federal court to reverse the February decision allowing extradition to Spain.

Spain wants to prosecute Montano and other former officers on charges of killing the priests, five of whom were born in Spain.

Montano has denied involvement in the killings. Friday's petition questions whether the charges line up with similar U.S. crimes and whether the priests retained Spanish nationality. The judge who approved his extradition rejected similar arguments.

The filing also cites Montano's health problems as a reason to allow his release from jail until U.S. legal proceedings conclude.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/ex-salvadoran-colonel-fights-extradition-in-jesuit-killings