UK Police Raids Muslim Sect Over Alleged Sex Crimes, Slavery
British police arrested ten members of a fringe religious sect Wednesday after launching a massive dawn raid over allegations of sexual abuse, forced marriage, and modern slavery.
More than 500 officers from Cheshire Constabulary and neighboring forces descended on three properties in Crewe, England, linked to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), according to The Telegraph. The operation targeted Webb House, a former orphanage that serves as the group’s headquarters, along with properties on Nantwich Road and Badger Avenue, according to Cheshire Constabulary. Authorities said the allegations involve one female victim who belonged to the sect when the offenses allegedly took place in 2023.
The suspects include seven men and three women holding American, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Egyptian, British, and German nationalities, the Cheshire Constabulary told The Daily Caller. All ten are still being held while officers search the properties. Police also detained 13 other individuals on public order charges unrelated to the core investigation, the constabulary said. (RELATED: Alabama Police Charge Girls Basketball Coach With 32 Sex Crimes)
“Today’s operation is the outcome of a detailed and robust investigation into reports of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery involving members of a religious group called Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Crewe,” Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley of Cheshire Constabulary told The Telegraph. “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.”
BREAKING: Members of a religious sect have been arrested over allegations of sex offences, forced marriage and modern slavery.
More than 500 police officers from a number of forces took part in a raid on the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light headquarters in Crewe on…
Officers also identified 56 homeschooled children tied to the sect and established welfare centers to protect them, GB News reported.
The AROPL is a Shia-derived movement founded by Abdullah Hashem, an Egyptian-American who claims he can make the Moon vanish, according to The Telegraph. The group fuses elements of Shia Islam with conspiracy theories involving the Illuminati and extraterrestrials supposedly controlling American presidents. Hashem recruits followers through YouTube and TikTok. The sect insists 99 percent of every religion is wrong, LBC reported.
The group operates in roughly 40 countries and has drawn law enforcement scrutiny well beyond Britain, according to LBC. Members have faced arrests in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, and Azerbaijan in recent years.
Europol, the Swedish Police Authority, and Ireland’s Garda assisted in the investigation, according to Cheshire Constabulary.
