Jedanaestero izglednjele djece od godinu do 15 godina spašeno je iz oronula skrovišta u kojem su ih u neljudskim uvjetima držali naoružani muškarci u američkoj saveznoj državi Novom Meksiku, objavila je u ponedjeljak lokalna policija.
Dvojica muškarca uhićena su, a djeca pronađena u "najgorim životnim uvjetima koje sam ikada vidio", rekao je lokalni šerif.
Dodao je da su djeca bila bosa, odjevena u dronjke i izgledala kao "izbjeglice iz Trećeg svijeta".
This handout photo released by the Taos County Sheriff's Office on August 4, 2018 shows a view of a makeshift compound in Amalia, New Mexico, where police rescued 11 children and arrested two armed "extremists." Police say 11 children ages one to 15 were rescued in the US state of New Mexico after officers raided on August 3 a makeshift compound occupied by armed "extremists." Two men were arrested after police found them and the children in what one officer called "the saddest living conditions and poverty I have seen," as part of the operation connected to a months-long search for an abducted three-year-old, according to New Mexico's Taos County sheriff's office. / AFP PHOTO / TAOS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE / Handout / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / TAOS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Primili očajničku poruku
Policija je izvela premetačinu kada je dobila poruku "Umiremo od gladi, trebamo vodu i hranu".
"Policajac sam 30 godina. Tako nešto nikada nisam vidio. Nevjerojatno", rekao je šerif Jerry Hogrefe. "Bili su mršavi, rebra su im se vidjela, prljavi i jako uplašeni".
U zabačenom skrovištu nije bilo struje i vode, a jedina hrana nekoliko krumpira i kutija riže.
Operacija je provedena u sklopu potrage za trogodišnjim djetetom, nestalim prije nekoliko mjeseci.
Potraga je počela prošle godine u Jonesboru, u Georgiji, kad je Siraj Wahhaj (39) optužen da je oteo svoje dijete (koje nikada nije pronađeno).
This handout photo released by the Taos County Sheriff's Office on August 4, 2018 shows a view of a trailer at a makeshift compound in Amalia, New Mexico, where police rescued 11 children and arrested two armed "extremists." Police say 11 children ages one to 15 were rescued in the US state of New Mexico after officers raided on August 3 a makeshift compound occupied by armed "extremists." Two men were arrested after police found them and the children in what one officer called "the saddest living conditions and poverty I have seen," as part of the operation connected to a months-long search for an abducted three-year-old, according to New Mexico's Taos County sheriff's office. / AFP PHOTO / TAOS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE / Handout / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / TAOS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Policija provela premetačinu
Šerif Hogrefe izdao je nalog za premetačinu "sklepanog kompleksa okruženog automobilskim gumama i zemljanim zidom" u ruralnoj općini Amalia gdje se smatralo da se krivaju Wahhaj i još jedan muškarac, Lucas Morten.
Ujutro 3. kolovoza desetak policajaca krenulo je u akciju i otkrilo "usku kamp kućicu, ukopanu u zemlju, pokrivenu plastikom, bez vode, kanalizacije ili struje" te dvojicu muškarca naoružanih jurišnom puškom AR-15 i četiri pištolja.
Budući da su odbijali poslušati naredbe, policajci su krenuli u napad koji je okončan bez žrtava.
Morten je uhićen pod optužbom da je skrivao bjegunca, a Wahhaj zbog otmice djeteta.
Pritvorene su i tri žene za koje se smatra da su majke djece.
