Police say the mother and daughter bought burner phones, misled relatives about their location and crossed Europe before being found safe in ArgentinaLiran Tamari|A senior Israeli police official said Saturday that investigators still do not know why Mali and Liel Yahalomi left Israel, even after the mother and daughter were found safe in Argentina following a weeklong international search.“The motive for leaving the country is unclear,” the official said. “Despite that, we are continuing the investigation in Israel.”Mali and Liel YahalomiThe two were located Friday on a bus in Buenos Aires, in good health. They were questioned by local police and released after authorities found no indication that their disappearance involved criminal circumstances.According to the investigation, the two had purchased replacement phones and prepared a detailed plan to leave without being traced.“They left of their own free will,” a police source said. “The police representative confirmed that their lives were not in danger, that they were not under threat and that they were free to continue on their way.”Investigators now believe their journey did not begin in Vienna, as initially suspected, but in Czechia, where phones can be purchased without presenting a passport.Police believe the mother and daughter then traveled to Vienna, where they apparently recorded videos intended for their family. However, the videos were sent only after they had already moved on to another country, believed to be Germany, according to the senior official.Investigators believe the delayed transmission was intended to create the false impression that they were still in Vienna.Their phone had last been detected near a train station in the Austrian capital.From Germany, the two flew to Argentina, where they were ultimately located by an Israel Police officer stationed in South America.Police believe Buenos Aires may not have been their final destination. Investigators say the women had apparently planned to continue to another location that cannot currently be disclosed. It remains unclear whether they have since continued their journey.In Buenos Aires, they were questioned by Chief Superintendent Walter Alejandro Kogan, Israel Police’s representative in South America, whose involvement brought an end to an intensive, cross-continental search led by Lahav 433.Behind the investigation was a large intelligence operation involving about 300 investigators and intelligence personnel working around the clock to reconstruct the women’s movements.Mali and Liel after being found in Argentina (Video: Israel Police)According to a senior police official, investigators concluded early in the case that the disappearance had been planned in advance. Because the motive remained unclear, police launched an extensive investigation to determine what was behind it.Police sources told ynet that the intelligence leading authorities to the women’s location was obtained by Lahav 433.Israel Police said that, under the direction of Commissioner Danny Levy, Lahav 433 and the police Intelligence Division operated command centers in Israel and abroad around the clock, deploying the resources required to locate the women and carrying out hundreds of investigative actions.“After extensive efforts and cooperation among all the agencies involved, including Europol and additional police organizations abroad, the missing women were located,” police said.In a separate statement, police said Israeli representatives abroad had carried out “significant investigative actions” in several countries and used extensive intelligence capabilities that ultimately led to the discovery of the women in Argentina.The force said the operation demonstrated “the ability of Israel Police to operate anywhere in the world.”The Yahalomi family said after the two were found that its overriding feeling was one of relief.“Above all, the family feels enormous relief that Mali and Liel were found and are alive,” the family said, thanking the Israeli public, Israel Police, the Israeli consul in Vienna, the Magen company and civilian rescue volunteers for their assistance.The family also said all money donated through a crowdfunding campaign launched during the search, approximately 260,000 shekels, would be returned to donors.