Lev Tahor: Guatemalan police clash with Jewish sect with more than 160 at-risk children

The incident began on Friday when police raided the sect’s farm in Oratorio, southeast of Guatemala City, and took the children into custody.

Prosecutors said they suspected “forced pregnancy, child abuse and rape.”

But two days later, about 100 relatives of the children – all members of the sect – gathered in front of the center where they were kept for their return.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, some sect members then forced open the door and tried to abduct the children and teenagers who were sheltering there.

However, local media reports that the children were caught by the authorities and put in a white van.

The General Prosecutor’s Office added that with the help of the police, the center “relocated and managed to secure everyone.”

Officials tried to check the children’s health earlier, but they were prevented from entering the farm by sect members.

Officials estimate the community consists of about 50 families living in Guatemala, the United States, Canada and other countries.

The Guatemalan Jewish Community issued a statement rejecting the sect, considering it alien to its organization.

He expressed his support for the Guatemalan authorities in conducting the necessary investigations “to protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk.”