Seventeen children and teenagers were rescued Sunday night in Colombia from the remnants of the Lev Tahor sect.
News report in Colombia about Lev Tahor
Five minors were taken into custody after Interpol issued alerts for them. Immigration officials explained that five of the rescued minors — holding Canadian, American and Guatemalan citizenship — were subject to Interpol "yellow notices," meaning they were at risk of human trafficking, abduction or exploitation.
The operation took place in the Antioquia region of Colombia and was conducted by Colombia’s Immigration Authority. According to local media, the operation included military involvement after authorities received reports of the illegal presence of minors in the country that included “possible risks.”
Authorities found 26 foreign nationals, nine adults and 17 children and adolescents, all linked to Lev Tahor. It emerged that after the sect was dismantled in Guatemala in recent months, and most families moved to the U.S., Canada and Israel, some families attempted to re‑establish a new group in Colombia, but were discovered and detained.
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Lev Tahor families attempted to reestablish the sect in Colombia
(Photo: Colombian Immigration Authority)
It appears that the sect’s leader, Nachman Helbrans, son of the late founder, who is serving a long prison sentence in New York for various crimes, continues to direct the remnants of the sect and has tried to revive it. The families who comprised the group, about seven in total, arrived in Colombia from New York on October 22 and 23.
Representatives from the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) also participated in the process. According to the Immigration Authority, members of the group were transferred to the Immigration Services Center. It is not yet clear whether they will be returned to the U.S. or Guatemala.