(VINnews) — Members of the extremist Lev Tahor cult have apparently traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and have likely been there for at least several months.
Local residents claim to have recognized the cult members based on photos of the group published in media reports as they were fleeing to the Middle East.
According to Bosnian media, the group has a three month visa, however locals fear they may claim political asylum to remain indefinitely. The news outlet cited government officials who said that 37 foreigners who fit the profile of Lev Tahor members are currently residing there.
Astoundingly, they are living on the property of Savo Vulića, a high-profile local politician. According to the reports, nearby residents have expressed concern about the presence of the group due to their extremist and even dangerous practices and beliefs.
The cult fled Guatemala last year after authorities discovered their location and were attempting to disband them and arrest the leadership. As reported on VIN earlier this month, Lev Tahor leadership instructed all mothers to murder their children and commit suicide if officials ever infiltrated. The mothers took a course on how to slit the throats of their young children.
In addition, cult leader Uriel Goldman was recorded on a spy video saying that in order to evade a crackdown by law enforcement, the group would flee Guatemala and head to Iran via Iraqi Kurdistan.
Lev Tahor was founded by Shlomo Helbrans in Jerusalem in the 1980s. This past November, two top leaders, Nachman Helbrans (the son of Shlomo) and Mayer Rosner, were convicted by a court in New York of child exploitation and kidnapping.
