The leader of an extremist ultra-orthodox Jewish sect known as Lev Tahor was arrested by state and federal officials in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The sect leader was identified as Menachem Endel Alter of Jerusalem. He is accused of organized crime and human trafficking.

Endel Alter was arrested near the Mexico-Guatemala border, inside the Lev Tahor group's jungle compound, in an operation led by the Mexican Attorney General's Office. The Associated Press also reported that an unspecified number of women and children were removed from the compound.

BBC reported that a three-year-old child removed from the compound was already flown to Israel.

Extremist Jewish Sect Members Claim Detentions are Illegal

Endel Alter's brother, Moshe Alter, arrived in the area where the sect members were held to deliver food. It was reported that the Mexican government was holding around two dozen women and children at a shelter. Moshe Alter told the media that authorities had taken away a 3-month-old baby, with the mother currently staying at the shelter.

Young women wearing long, flowing white hooded robes also appeared at the shelter gate to protest the detentions. They shouted at officials and banged on the perimeter walls. One of them, Nissan Malka, talked to the Associated Press and claimed that the people inside were "illegally detained."

Moshe Alter also stated that a second man was arrested, and he was identified by the community as Moshe Joseph Rosner/ He also stated that the Lev Tahor group was under scrutiny from various governments because of "political-religious conflict with former members of Lev Tahor who are trying to dismantle it."

Several of those arrested were not just Mexican citizens but also Israeli nationals. There were also others who held dual citizenship with various countries, including Canada, the United States, and Guatemala.

A total of 26 sect members were found in the compound. Several leaders have been detained on suspicion of child abuse. The attorney general's Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime (Femdo) is investigating them.

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What Is the Extremist Jewish Sect Known as Lev Tahor?

Lev Tahor, which means Pure Heart in Hebrew, is a Jewish sect known for its extremist practices, as well as imposing a strict regime on members. The sect is so infamous that it has earned the nickname the "Jewish Taliban."

The group advocates child marriages and also inflicts harsh punishments for minor transgressions. Like the Taliban, where it gets its nickname, it also requires women and girls, many of whom are as young as three-years-old, to completely cover themselves up with robes. Many have pointed out the similarities in the sect's beliefs with the Taliban.

The group is not just in legal trouble in Mexico but also in the United States and its home country of Israel. Israel's foreign ministry has said that members of the group are suspected of "human trafficking and serious sexual offenses, including rape."

In the United States, two of the sect's leaders were convicted of kidnapping and child sexual exploitation crimes. Their crimes involved kidnapping two children from their mother and returning a 14-year-old girl to an illegal sexual relationship with an adult male.

According to Haaretz, they were originally located in Canada but relocated to Guatemala following the allegations of child abuse. The group is also known to shun technology, much like the Amish people in the United States.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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