Colombia raids hotel hosting Jewish sect members, rescues 17 children
Intervention was prompted by local tips and Interpol yellow notices issued for some of the missing children
Immigration authorities in Colombia have taken 17 children into protective custody after they were rescued from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect whose members have been accused of sexually abusing and kidnapping minors in several countries.
Gloria Esperanza Arriero, the director of Colombia’s national immigration service, said on Monday that her agency questioned nine members of the Lev Tahor sect during a hotel inspection on Sunday.
“We will likely deport them,” Arriero said, “because there are no arrest orders for them in Colombia.”
The notices are global alerts issued for people who have been reported as missing or those considered victims of parental or criminal abduction.