10 people arrested in massive raids on religious sect in U.K.

London — Some 500 British police officers conducted raids on facilities linked to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) group Wednesday morning, arresting ten people on suspicion of various offenses including modern slavery, forced marriage and sexual assault.

Police from across the northwest of England executed warrants at three addresses, including AROPL’s headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire, during the operation. Seven men and three women were taken into custody, according to a statement from the Cheshire Police.

The police said they learned in March of allegations made by a woman who was previously part of the group of serious sexual offenses, forced marriage and modern slavery that allegedly took place in 2023. All of the arrests pertained to the allegations made by that woman, the police said.

Those arrested include two American men and one woman, two Mexican men, a British man, an Italian woman, a Spanish man, a Swedish woman and an Egyptian man, the police said. 

“Today’s operation is the outcome of a detailed and robust investigation,” said Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley of the Cheshire Constabulary. “While those arrested are members of the group, I want to make clear that this is not an investigation into the religion, this is an investigation into the serious allegations which have been reported to us.”

The U.S. Embassy in London did not respond to a CBS News request for comment about the Americans arrested in the raids.

AROPL did not reply to a CBS News request for comment. 

Lawyers representing the group told The Guardian: “Our client has no comment other than to say that any wrongdoing is vehemently denied.” 

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a religious movement based largely on messianic prophecy intertwined with conspiracy theories. It is associated with the Shiite branch of Islam but is considered heretical by most Muslims.

In 2015, the sect’s Egyptian-American leader Abdullah Hashem claimed to be the Mahdi – an Islamic messianic figure comparable to the Second Coming of Christ. He has also claimed to be the true pope and the successor of Jesus Christ.

In the decades before he founded AROPL, Hashem was a documentary filmmaker whose work covered the UFO-based religion Raelism, and he was involved in producing an online documentary that sought to legitimize Illuminati conspiracy theories with Islamic scripture.

AROPL’s fringe, unorthodox doctrine distinguishes it from mainstream Muslim beliefs. Adherents are not obligated to perform ritual Islamic prayers and alcohol consumption is allowed.

State and local authorities in some Muslim-majority countries have taken measures against AROPL, including a formal ban on the organization in Malaysia, and the charging and detention of members in Egypt and Algeria. Local media say the sect’s headquarters in Crewe had security personnel on duty around the clock.

In his manifesto, Hashem urges followers to build a “media machine” to propagate the faith – a call that appears to be well-heeded given the organization’s extensive use of social media.

Videos show members professing belief that Hashem can cure fatal illnesses, make the moon disappear and turn leaves into living animals.

About 150 people live in the Crewe headquarters, a Grade II-listed building that was previously an orphanage, including 56 children, according to The Guardian, which said they are home-schooled.

AROPL moved its headquarters to the U.K. in 2021 from Sweden, where immigration authorities had revoked residency permits for dozens of its members. The group decried those moves as racist persecution.

It was previously based in Egypt and Germany.