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HUIXTLA, Mexico — About 20 members of an extreme ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect overpowered guards and escaped a government shelter in southern Mexico where they had been held since one of their leaders was arrested last Friday on organized crime and human trafficking allegations. Mostly made up of children wearing long, flowing robes, members of the Lev Tahor sect pushed their way out of the complex Wednesday night, climbing over one guard from a private security company who had fallen to the ground. The federal government’s shelter for children and families in Huixtla usually receives migrants detained by immigration officials. They climbed aboard a waiting truck outside and headed toward Mexico’s border with Guatemala. Local police, the National Guard, and Mexico’s immigration agency said they did not pursue them. Continue reading at https://www.timesofisrael.com/lev-tahor-members-break-out-of-mexican-shelter-escape-in-waiting-vehicle/

Mexican authorities raided a compound occupied by the extremist Jewish sect Lev Tahor along the Guatemalan border and rescued a three-year-old boy whose father had escaped from the sect, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. Friday's raid was carried out in the town of Tapachula, in southeastern Mexico, with the participation of dozens of local law enforcement and social workers. The operation was approved following an investigation by Mexican authorities which found evidence of involvement of cult members in human trafficking, rape, drug trafficking and other serious offences. Continue reading at https://fr-timesofisrael-com.translate.goog/les-autorites-mexicaines-inculpent-26-membres-de-la-secte-lev-tahor/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp Read this article in French: https://fr.timesofisrael.com/les-autorites-mexicaines-inculpent-26-membres-de-la-secte-lev-tahor/

Mexican police raided the jungle compound of Jewish extremist sect Lev Tahor (“Pure Heart”) and removed minors from the site, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Two adult members of the group, described by former members as a cult, are under arrest on suspicion of human trafficking and severe sexual offenses, including rape. Some 80 Mexican law enforcement officials took part in the raid. Twenty-six persons were detained at the compound in Tapachula, in the far southeast state of Chiapas, including citizens of Israel, the United States, Canada and Guatemala. Some will be deported. Continue reading at https://www.jns.org/mexican-cops-raid-lev-tahor-compound-remove-children/

HUIXTLA, Mexico, Sept 29 (Reuters) - A group of about 20 members of a fundamentalist Jewish sect escaped from a Mexican detention center in the southern state of Chiapas on Wednesday night, according to a Reuters reporter who filmed the incident. The group were being held by Mexico's National System for Integral Family Development, or DIF, following a raid by Mexican police on Friday that targeted Lev Tahor - a strict Jewish sect that practices arranged marriages and full-body coverings for girls as young as three. The sect is estimated to consist of about 200 to 300 people and rejects the state of Israel. Neither the DIF nor the office of Mexico's Attorney General's office responded to requests to comment on the case. Continue reading at https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/jewish-sect-mexico-escape-detention-after-police-raid-2022-09-29/

A group of about 20 members of a Lev Tahor cult escaped from a Mexican detention center in the southern state of Chiapas on Wednesday night, according to a Reuters reporter who filmed the incident. The group was being held by Mexico's National System for Integral Family Development, or DIF, following a raid by Mexican police on Friday that targeted Lev Tahor - a strict Jewish cult that practices arranged marriages and full-body coverings for girls as young as three. The cult is estimated to consist of about 200 to 300 people and rejects the state of Israel. Continue reading at https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-718558

Almost twenty children and adults from the Lev Tahor extremist sect have escaped from a center in Chiapas , where they were detained, as shown in images to which EL PAÍS has had access. The group of worshipers was in the custody of Mexican authorities after a raid on an ultra-Orthodox community camp near the Guatemalan border last week. The National System for the Integral Development of Families (DIF), the institution responsible for the facilities, has not commented on the incident. In the images, boys and girls, dressed in the sect's characteristic costumes (dark suits for men and tunics that cover women from head to toe), are seen leaving the DIF care center in Huixtla, a Chiapas community. about 50 kilometers from the border with Guatemala. In the videos, the minors are shown walking together outside the facilities, while in other recordings released by the local press, some are seen directly pushing the guards who were at the entrance and getting into vans. The events occurred early this Thursday. Continue reading at https://elpais-com.translate.goog/mexico/2022-09-29/miembros-de-la-secta-lev-tahor-escapan-de-la-custodia-mexicana.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp Read this article in Spanish: https://elpais.com/mexico/2022-09-29/miembros-de-la-secta-lev-tahor-escapan-de-la-custodia-mexicana.html

A few days following the raid on the ultra-Orthodox cult Lev Tahor in Mexico, a former Mossad agent, who took part in the operation shared the details of rescuing innocent children trapped in the extremist religious group. Danny Limor was among several volunteers who took part in the operation led by the Mexican police. During the raid, 26 members of the cult - including its leader - were captured, leading to the rescue of members who were trapped in the cult. “We’ve been following the cult ever since we identified its location in Guatemala,” Limor said in a Ynet interview. "We’ve managed to built a case against the cult in recent months, while cooperating with Mexican authorities. This led to the eventual raid to arrest some of the cult’s senior members. Continue reading at https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/r1vqgcwfi

Danny Limor, a former Mossad agent who participated in the operation that led to the raid on the Lev Tahor cult in Mexico, shared in an interview with 103FM what he witnessed. "There were 26 of the cult members who were arrested, including two leaders, that remain in custody until they can be brought before a judge and charged with the crimes they've committed." "Other than them, the cult is made up of many women and children, girls and boys aged two to 18 who were born and raised in the cult. Among the women, there are those who are full-heartedly members of the cult. You can say that they've been brainwashed, but you can also say that this is what they chose." He added that the "crew is made of volunteers - former Mossad agents, a police officer and two lawyers. They all did an amazing job. The lawyers collected information, all the statements, so that the case they prepared could act as a foundation that would allow us to act within Mexican law, which is very sensitive regarding child abuse and human trafficking. The case was so well constructed that the Mexican Police had no choice other than to act." Continue reading at https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-718369

9/29/2022 | Mexico - The early morning raid on a Lev Tahor compound in Mexico, near the Guatemala border, took place on Friday, September 23rd, by Mexican police with assistance from a private Israeli team. Two Lev Tahor members were captured and arrested with allegations of human trafficking, rape, and other serious offenses. Two other members had left the compound only days before the raid and are being sought by police. "Numerous children were saved in the raid, including children forced into marriages as young as 12 or 13, and young teen mothers seemed to be hiding their babies under their robes." a person present at the raid said. Police separated the boys and girls, with female police for the women, to ensure the sensitivity of their religious observances. Children were kept with their parents. Special arrangements were made to accommodate the victims’ needs during their stay in a comfortable safe home for abuse victims, such as strictly Kosher food, Kiddush cup and wine for Shabbat, prayer books for Rosh Hashana, and even having a Shofar driven hours to their location for Rosh Hashana. Yisrael Amir, who had left Lev Tahor three years ago and been trying to retrieve his now-3-year-old son, was reunited with him, and they flew back to Israel. "Their reunion was done with specialists on hand, and went much smoother than expected, bringing tears to many of those present" an eyewitness reported. A special team including a former Mossad agent, child trauma specialists, and others, was present for the raid to provide the utmost care in this sensitive situation. In the raid, numerous documents were recovered, including letters discussing the brutal abuse carried out as punishment for infractions. In an unfortunate turn of events, in the middle of the night, Lev Tahor members took the victims from the safe home, including the children that were awaiting travel plans to reunite with their families. The children are now held captive by the cult in dangerous conditions. This raid deals another blow to the Lev Tahor leadership, following the conviction of 2 members earlier this month for their role in the 2018 kidnapping of 2 children from their mother’s home in New York. The group leadership entails 15-20 people and still has an estimated 70-80 followers in Guatemala, many held against their will. As the recapture of these children illustrates the risk they still present. IMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH PRESS RELEASE — Quotes [The raid] "took place after Mexican police gathered incriminating evidence against several members of the cult on suspicion of drug trafficking, rape and more." -Israel's Ministry for Foreign Affairs "There were 26 of the cult members who were arrested, including two leaders, that remain in custody until they can be brought before a judge and charged with the crimes they've committed." -Danny Limor (Former Mossad agent who participated in the operation) — Documentaries related to the above story https://youtu.be/fMLBIwiEv3I https://youtu.be/m95BTIEpvOc

This rescue operation was carried out in the camp located 17 kilometers north of the city of Tapachula, Chiapas state. A federal judge ordered the arrest of 26 leaders of the group, among whom were Israelis, Canadians, Americans and Guatemalans. Among the detainees there are two suspects of sexual crimes and human trafficking, who could face up to 20 years in prison. One of the children rescued from the camp was 3 years old and was put on a flight to Israel. Continue reading at https://tiempo-com-mx.translate.goog/noticia/rescato_mexico_ninos_adolescentes_campamento_lev_tahor_2022/?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp Read this article in Spanish: http://tiempo.com.mx/noticia/rescato_mexico_ninos_adolescentes_campamento_lev_tahor_2022/

Members of a group nicknamed the “Jewish Taliban” have been forced to leave a compound in the Mexican jungle after a police raid in which children and teenagers were taken into protective custody. Four Israeli volunteers that included ex-Mossad agents aided Mexican police in the operation to rescue the young people from the Lev Tahor compound in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Lev Tahor, a Jewish sect sometimes compared to a fundamentalist militia akin to the Taliban, is known for its strict and cult-like practices, including child marriage, harsh physical punishments, and mandatory head-to-toe robe coverings for girls as young as three. Continue reading at https://www.thejc.com/news/news/mexican-police-rescue-children-from-jewish-taliban-jungle-compound-2tCBWtBujjLulKxdHjpyu6

Mexican police have raided a compound of the extremist Lev Tahor cult along the border with Guatemala, rescuing, among others, a toddler whose father had escaped the cult years ago. Twenty-six cult members, including its leader Menachem Endel Alter, were arrested in the raid, which took place over the weekend in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula. The cult members have been involved in organized crime including human trafficking, rape and drug trafficking, among other serious offenses. Continue reading at https://worldisraelnews.com/mexican-police-raid-jewish-taliban-cult-compound-arrest-26/