Three leaders of the extremist Jewish cult Lev Tahor, suspected of kidnapping eight children and smuggling them to Belize, were extradited overnight Thursday to Guatemala. The suspects — Avraham Dinkel, Chaim Malka and Moshe Yehuda Leib Alter — are expected to stand trial for child abduction.
Meanwhile, authorities continue searching for the missing children, who are believed to be held by another sect member.
According to investigators, the three attempted to smuggle 11 children from Guatemala to neighboring Belize last Saturday. Local authorities managed to rescue three children before the group crossed the border.
Following an extensive manhunt, two of the kidnappers, Chaim Zvi Malka, 25, and Avraham Dinkel, 35, were arrested in Belize. Dinkel had previously been filmed assaulting an ultra-Orthodox man who had traveled to Guatemala to rescue children from the sect. Investigators say Malka and Dinkel first smuggled girls from the sect and then called a third man, Moshe Yehuda Leib Alter, to bring the boys.
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Alter arrived with the boys, raising suspicion among Belizean police. However, another sect member managed to escape with the eight children. Belizean authorities are now searching for Yoel Malka, who is believed to be hiding them somewhere in the Central American country.
On December 20, 2024, Guatemalan authorities raided Lev Tahor’s compound in San Rosa, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) from Guatemala City, following reports of child abuse. At least 160 children and teenagers, along with about 40 women, were rescued and placed in welfare facilities after suffering mistreatment, starvation and neglect by the sect.