The Lev Tahor cult recently moved from its location in Guatemala, and Kikar Hashabbat has discovered why.
The cult, which numbers around 300 members, left its headquarters following several raids by the local police as they searched for a few of the children. The members began to disperse around Guatemala, some of them staying in guest houses, hostels, and hotels, while others traveled to nearby countries.
According to Kikar Hashabbat, Lev Tahor's leaders described the exodus as "drama" and pointed out that this is the first time since the group arrived in Guatemala that such a thing has occurred.
Meanwhile, Guatemalan police have conducted several raids on the hotels where some of the cult leaders are staying. It is estimated that the police are searching for seven children, who they claim were kidnapped from the police and who should be returned to the families.
On Monday, Kikar Hashabbat reported that a group of 70 Lev Tahor, including children, had succeeded in exiting Guatemala and reaching Kurdistan, where they were detained for five days by the military before being flown to another country.
Sources in Lev Tahor told Kikar that the group only wanted to leave Guatemala, and did not want to move to Iran.
"We're just looking for a place to lie our heads, to live quietly," the sources said. "That's why we moved to Kurdistan."
The group which reached Kurdistan was promptly arrested and brought to a military base, where they were kept until they were brought to the airport to be flown to a different country. However, they were not informed of their destination and therefore refused to board the plane. The group was therefore returned to the military base, and given the option to stay there or fly to an unknown destination.
The cult members suspected that Kurdistan's military would return them to Guatemala, but the military refused to confirm this, and eventually the group caved, and on Sunday night, the group was put on a private plane together with a large group of guards, and sent off to another destination. The members of Lev Tahor who remained in Guatemala do not know where the rest of the group has been flown to, but for some reason they expect that the group was flown to Turkey.
Speaking to Kikar Hashabbat, one of the members of Lev Tahor said that the group estimates that Israel is responsible for preventing them from reaching Iran. However, he reiterated that the group is not intending to travel to Iran.
The Foreign Ministry did not respond to Kikar Hashabbat's request for comment.