Useful information
Prime News delivers timely, accurate news and insights on global events, politics, business, and technology
Useful information
Prime News delivers timely, accurate news and insights on global events, politics, business, and technology
The events began when police raided the sect’s farm in Oratorio, southeast of Guatemala City, on Friday and took the children into custody.
Prosecutors said there were suspicions of “forced pregnancy, child abuse and rape.”
But two days later, around 100 of the children’s relatives, all members of the sect, gathered in front of the center where they were detained to ask for their return.
Then, some members of the sect forced the door and tried to kidnap the children and adolescents sheltered there, the Attorney General’s Office said.
But the children were intercepted by authorities and put into a white minibus, local media reported.
With police help, the center “was able to locate and protect everyone again,” the Attorney General’s Office added.
Officials had previously attempted to check on the children’s well-being, but members of the sect prevented them from entering the farm.
Authorities estimate that the community is made up of about 50 families who reside in Guatemala, the United States, Canada and other countries.
The Jewish Community of Guatemala has issued a statement repudiating the sect, describing it as alien to its own organization.
He expressed his support for the Guatemalan authorities in carrying out the necessary investigations “to protect the life and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk.”