From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 31, 2025
Leader of extremist Lev Tahor group arrested by Guatemalan authorities
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
The leader of the extremist Jewish Lev Tahor sect, Aaron Teller, has been arrested for human trafficking, authorities in Guatemala say.
Another top member of the cult, Josef Rosner, has been arrested for child abuse and “human trafficking for forced or servile marriage,” Guatemala’s Public Ministry says in a statement.
The arrests were coordinated by Guatemala’s National Civil Police and the Interpol international law enforcement agency.
Law enforcement also seized five phones and an internet router during the arrests, the statement says.
???? Aaron Teller – Leader of the Lev Tahor sect, arrested on human trafficking charges.
???? Josef Rosner – Responsible for arranging forced marriages involving minor victims, arrested on charges of child abuse and human trafficking for forced or servile marriage. pic.twitter.com/Nla1u1D7XD— MP de Guatemala (@MPGuatemala_EN) January 30, 2025
Authorities in Guatemala have been cracking down on Lev Tahor, starting with a raid on the group’s compound last month. Several other members have been arrested since then.
The group has been based in Guatemala for more than a decade.
The crackdown stems from Lev Tahor’s practice of marrying young girls to adult men.
Israeli officials have assisted Guatemala and the local Jewish community has condemned the group.
