Authorities in Guatemala have resisted efforts by members of a Jewish sect to recapture 160 children rescued from its premises.
The children were taken into care on Friday when police raided a farm used by the Lev Tahor movement, which is under investigation in several countries for serious sex crimes.
Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez said they were abused by a member of the sect.
But on Sunday, sect members stormed a care center where they were being held in an attempt to get them back, leading to clashes with police.
The Lev Tahor sect is known for extremist practices and imposing a strict regime on its followers.
It supports child marriage, imposes harsh punishments for even minor transgressions, and requires women and girls under the age of three to be fully clothed.
The sect accuses Guatemalan authorities of religious persecution.
The community established itself in Mexico and Guatemala between 2014 and 2017. In 2022 members of the sect were arrested in a police operation in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, but they were later released due to lack of evidence.
The events began when police raided the sect's farm in Oratorio, southeast of Guatemala City, on Friday, taking the children into care.
Prosecutors said there were suspicions of “forced pregnancy, abuse of minors and rape”.
But two days later, about 100 of the children's relatives – all members of the sect – gathered outside the center where they were held to call for their return.
Some members of the sect then forced open the gate and tried to kidnap the children and teenagers sheltered there, the prosecutor's office said.
But the children were caught by authorities and put into a white van, local media reported.
With the help of the police, the center “once again managed to find and protect everyone”, added the General Prosecutor's Office.
Officers had previously attempted to check on the children's welfare but were prevented from entering the farm by cult members.
Authorities estimate that the community consists of about 50 families living in Guatemala, the United States, Canada and other countries.
The Jewish community in Guatemala issued a statement disavowing the sect, describing it as foreign to its own organization.
He expressed support for the Guatemalan authorities in carrying out the necessary investigations “to protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk.”