Police say they have begun extradition proceedings against a rabbi who fled to Canada after being suspected of abusing the children of one of his followers.
Police say Rabbi Elior Chen and his followers are suspected of abusing two children, aged three and four, who were burned and severely beaten with hammers, knives and other instruments. The three-year-old suffered permanent brain damage, he added.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the rabbi hasn't been charged with a crime. But he says Chen is a suspect and definitely connected to the abuse. The children's mother has already been charged with abuse.
Rosenfeld says Chen fled to Canada in the past few days. Officials at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv were not immediately available for comment Monday.