Israeli member of Lev Tahor sect extradited over human trafficking from Madrid
The National Court approves extradition to Mexico of Menachen Mendel Alter, detained in February for clandestinely transporting women for the organisation accused of abuse and trafficking of minors.
Extradition of Lev Tahor member approved
The National Court has authorised the extradition to Mexico of Menachen Mendel Alter, an Israeli and Romanian national detained in Madrid in February. According to El Confidencial, Alter is a member of Lev Tahor, an organisation classified under surveillance by international authorities for allegations of abuse, sexual violence and human trafficking.
Lev Tahor, known as the "Jewish Taliban", is a sect whose female members wear full-face coverings. The organisation, founded forty years ago, faces global allegations of women trafficking, child malnutrition and sexual abuse.
Alter, 40, is accused of clandestinely transporting a woman across the Guatemala-Mexico border without her family's consent, after recruiting her for the sect. The investigation against him began in September 2022 in Chiapas. A local judge lifted the charges days later, allowing him to leave the country. In 2023, a court in Tabasco overturned that decision; since 2025 he is officially considered a fugitive.
During his detention in February, Alter's lawyers requested provisional release on several occasions. Among their arguments they claimed "network of support in Spain" and offered bail of €20,000. They also raised the matter that prison food was not kosher, which forced him to a vegetarian-only diet affecting his health. The Torat Sefarad foundation expressed willingness to provide accommodation and monitoring. The suspect was released on provisional liberty in the summer.
At his extradition hearing, Alter had a translator as he does not speak Spanish. He simply denied having fled from Mexican police. The First Section of the Criminal Division of the National Court, with judge José Ricardo de Prada as rapporteur, approved the extradition. Given that Alter also holds Romanian nationality, that country is given a deadline to issue its own detention order. If it declines, extradition to Mexico will be carried out.
Source: El Confidencial