Portrait of young man with shocked facial expression over orange studio background

BREAKING: Colombian authorities conducted a raid on a hotel and rescued 17 minors who had been held by the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor.

The children, aged between 3 and 17, were allegedly subjected to physical and sexual abuse, forced marriages, pregnancies, kidnapping, and human trafficking.

Investigators stated that the minors had been abducted from their legal guardians in the United States, Canada, and Guatemala, indicating that the sect was operating a child-trafficking network under the guise of religious practices.

The rescued children hold citizenship from the United States, Guatemala, and Canada.