Police have raided the headquarters of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light following an investigation into allegations of serious sexual offences, modern slavery and forced marriage.
About 500 officers drawn from across the north-west region were on the ground on Wednesday morning and made a number of arrests. The officers had warrants to enter the group’s headquarters, which is based out of a former orphanage as well as other properties in Crewe, Cheshire.
The arrests come after Cheshire police were alerted in March about a woman, now based in the Republic of Ireland, who had made a complaint of being raped and sexually abused at AROPL’s headquarters. All of the alleged offences took place in 2023 and involved the woman, who was a member of the group at the time the offences occurred.
The suspects in the case, who are all men, are American, Mexican, British, German and Spanish. Following the arrests, police conducted a search of the premises.
AROPL is a sect that blends tenets of Islam with conspiracy theories about the Illuminati and aliens controlling US presidents. Followers believe the sect’s leader, who lives with the group in Crewe, can cure the sick and make the moon disappear. About 150 people live together in a sprawling, grade II-listed building in Crewe. Other followers live elsewhere in the town and around the world.
Ch Supt Gareth Wrigley said the force was not yet able to confirm how many arrests had been made. He stressed that the police investigation was focused on individual suspects and not the religious group as a whole.
About 56 children are understood to be living at the group’s headquarters, where they are homeschooled. Wrigley said the force was working with local partners to put safeguarding measures in place.
Get in touch Contact our investigations team The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods: Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don’t already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’. Email If you don’t need a high level of security or confidentiality you can email investigations.contact@theguardian.com. SecureDrop If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Show more
AROPL moved its headquarters to the UK in 2021 from Sweden, where they were investigated by immigration authorities, who issued deportation orders to dozens of its members.
The Guardian has previously reported that the group was being investigated by the Home Office over its use of skilled worker visas.
AROPL’s lawyers told the Guardian: “Our client has no comment other than to say that any wrongdoing is vehemently denied.”
More details soon …