Law enforcement authorities in Guatemala raided the compound of the "Lev Tahor" cult and successfully rescued four minors—two girls and two boys aged 15 to 17—who had been reported missing.

The rescue took place during a special operation in the town of Oratorio in the Santa Rosa Department.

The raid was carried out by special forces of the National Civil Police (PNC), in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and the Office of the Attorney General of Guatemala.

Authorities acted on alarming reports of human trafficking, forced marriages, and child abuse.

After being located, the four minors were transferred into the care of professionals from the Office of the Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents. According to local sources, all four minors had been forcibly married within the cult.

During the raid, several local non-Jewish residents were arrested after they were found to possess weapons. In addition, police opened several of the cult’s children's graves to conduct examinations and rule out suspicions of murder.

This is not the first time the "Lev Tahor" cult has been implicated in serious criminal activity. In December 2024, authorities raided the cult's compound and rescued at least 160 minors who had suffered abuse, starvation, and neglect. Those minors are still in government welfare facilities.

The cult was also involved in a kidnapping incident in 2018, when cult leaders abducted two children on a Friday night in Brooklyn, New York, after the children had fled the community with their mother. The abductors escaped via a Pennsylvania airport to Mexico City, violating Shabbat (Sabbath) laws in the process. They attempted to disguise the children in non-traditional clothing but were caught, and the children were returned to their mother.

Guatemalan authorities continue to investigate the cult’s activities, which are suspected to include numerous serious crimes, including child abuse and human trafficking.