At least 200 women and children were rescued from the Lev Tahor Jewish cult in Guatemala. The group is accused of abuse, human trafficking, rape, pedophilia and forced marriage of children.
The rescue operation was carried out by Guatemalan authorities, with the support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and involved around 480 police personnel, soldiers, prosecutors, and psychologists.
The operation is part of ongoing international efforts to dismantle the cult’s network and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation.
The cult’s members have been trying to recapture the rescued children, and some have been found to have caused disturbances at the care facility where they were being held.
Lev Tahor was founded in Israel in 1988 and has a history of alleged sexual abuses, kidnapping, child marriage, and physical violence.
Authorities are investigating the cult and its members, with suspicions of possible crimes of human trafficking, mistreatment of minors, pedophilia and rape.
