Jewish Sect Leader Arrested in Mexico on Child Trafficking and Forced Marriage Charges
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Mexican prosecutors have confirmed the arrest of Yoel Alter, a prominent figure in the extremist Jewish sect Lev Tahor, on charges of child trafficking and forced marriage. A Mexican federal judge had issued an arrest warrant for Alter in 2022 for organized crime and human trafficking as part of ongoing legal actions against the sect’s activities.
Alter was apprehended in Guatemala on January 24 under a provisional arrest and extradition order requested by Mexican authorities. Although officials from both countries initially agreed to process the extradition at Mexico City International Airport, the Attorney General’s Office later reported that the transfer occurred in Chiapas, near the Guatemalan border.
Guatemalan authorities confirmed that the crimes attributed to Alter are punishable in both countries. Local media reports indicate that on December 20, 2024, prosecutors raided the sect’s main compound in Santa Rosa, about 60 kilometers southeast of Guatemala City, rescuing 160 children. The operation followed the escape of four children in mid-November 2024, who alerted local officials to abusive living conditions within the sect.
In a related development, Colombian authorities rescued 17 children in November who were staying with sect members at a hotel in Yarumal. Interpol has also issued international arrest warrants for five sect members from the U.S., Canada, and Guatemala on charges of child abduction and human trafficking.
