On 29 April, the Crewe police conducted extensive raids on properties belonging to the Islamist group the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) as part of an investigation into allegations of serious sexual offences, modern slavery and forced marriages. Ten people were arrested during the operation, but were later released on bail following protests by supporters of the group.
On Wednesday morning, 29 April 2026, in the town of Crewe, County Cheshire, around 500 police officers from across the north-west of England carried out a raid on the Islamist sect AROPL as part of the ongoing investigation into sexual offences, modern slavery and forced marriages. Police have since confirmed the arrest of ten people as part of the investigation, who were held in custody until 1 May 2026 and subsequently released on bail.
Cheshire Police reported that, in addition to bail conditions, the court has issued protection orders against slavery and human trafficking against the group leader, Abdullah Hashem, including four other suspects, prohibiting them from entering Crewe, contacting the alleged victim or leaving the country.
The police said that the investigation was conducted with the support of Europol, the Swedish police and the Irish police (Garda) in the Republic of Ireland.
Officers had warrants to enter the group’s headquarters, located in the former Webb House orphanage, as well as other properties in the town of Crewe. Following the arrests, police searched the premises. The road near the sect’s headquarters was closed on Wednesday morning as a convoy of police vehicles entered the fenced-off area.
“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. We treat all reports of sexual assault seriously and are committed to doing all we can to achieve justice,” according to Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley.
The police operation came after Cheshire Police received a report last March from a woman, now living in the Republic of Ireland, who had filed a complaint regarding rape and sexual assault at AROPL’s headquarters. Police have stated the alleged offences took place in 2023 and involved a woman who was a member of the group at the time. The police reported the suspects are of the US, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Germany and Egypt.
The followers living in this £1.5 million complex insisted no wrongdoing had taken place and reiterated the Almighty’s claims that he was the rightful father. They also claim that they have been misunderstood and did not intend to cause any harm, but their unusual behaviour has caused concern locally.
In response to questions about the recent arrests, AROPL’s lawyers said: “Our client has no comment other than to say that any wrongdoing is vehemently denied.”
According to available information, some 56 children live at the group’s headquarters and are home-schooled. A number of community centres have been set up for these children, who were being home-schooled and belong to a local Ahmadi group founded by Abdullah Hashem, who is reportedly an American of Egyptian origin. Although social services in had previously carried out two investigations into the group or the children, no evidence was found to suggest that any action was deemed necessary.
The sect’s supporters went out onto the streets to protest and demand the release of those detained. In an open letter to Cheshire Police, they stated they were staging a “collective protest” and expressing their “profound concern” over the arrests. The police also reported that they had charged 25 people with public order offences allegedly committed during the raids on Wednesday. These individuals are due to appear before magistrates next month.
Sect history, testimonies from local residents, illegal migration methods
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a religious sect, that moved its headquarters to Crewe, Cheshire, in 2021. It combines Islamic dogma with conspiracy theories about the Illuminati and aliens controlling US presidents. Followers wear black beanies and believe that the sect’s leader can heal the sick and make the moon disappear.
Doctor Sarah Harvey, a senior research fellow at Inform, an educational charity based at King’s College London, explained that whilst their way of life can be found in other religions around the world, it was unusual in the UK. Differences from mainstream Islam include a less socially conservative attitude towards the halal diet and abstinence from alcohol, as well as a more relaxed approach to Friday prayers. In addition, the group also protested in support of LGBT rights, which put them at odds with other Islamic movements.
Residents whose homes are adjacent to the complex have reported that “military parades” take place regularly, with members of the group marching in columns around the football pitch to the sound of drums, accompanied by men carrying black flags, and one of them shouts at various “platoons” to stand “at attention” and salute, meanwhile the commander inspects them on the grass. Women then carry gold and black balloons and labels reading the “Mahdi has appeared,” after which they embrace the leader, with the men marching with their fists raised and chanting loudly.
The residents said that they were not surprised when police turned up and compared the compound to “Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.”
One of neighbour said: “They came in 2018 I think, it was before the pandemic. They have two German Shepherds, they walk round and have a drone they fly every night for hours. They don’t just live here, they have two other places. There are about 50 kids and 100 adults here. The leader doesn’t come out. You can hear them marching in the evening. Think of the Temple of Doom that’s what we get in there. It’s like Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, they have been doing training.”
Others said they were scared to walk past the compound and that “robot dogs” had been used to monitor those passing its gates. “We’ve been frightened for years, we will not walk down this road. We’ve seen them all covered in black. If anybody goes to the gate all the security are there with robotic dogs,” a woman said.
It is also reported that members of the sect asked people whether they owned their homes so that they could buy them, meanwhile other complaints relate to night-time floodlights and security guards shining torches into gardens. On this matter, the lawyers also declined to comment, other than to confirm that the group is co-operating with the investigation and is unable to provide any further comments at this stage.
“I think if you’re accusing a people of something, you should take them to the court, you should call them into the investigation. Wouldn’t it make more sense and be cheaper and better that you would call the family that you’re suspecting of having a slave right to the police station. They would rather spend your tax money with all of this crazy insanity and cause a huge fuss online and defame an entire religion. It is inhumane behaviour,” said Husam, a member of the sect who said he was part of the outreach team.
The sect’s followers live not only in Crewe but also in other parts of the city and around the world. Followers spread their ideas through striking videos on social media, shot on location in Crewe. The group’s YouTube videos have garnered over 31 million views. In one recent TikTok, filmed in January and titled “The True Hajj: The Black Cloud renews its allegiance to the Mahdi,” the group’s leader was seen emerging from a red-brick building in Crewe and waving to his followers, who were dressed in black.
Husam said he was aware the group had been described as a cult but noticed that this was unfair and that the term “has been used and abused in so many different ways that you can actually name everything a cult right now.” “Governments can be labelled as cults,” he said. “You name it, any sort of group can be labelled as a cult.”
In 2021, AROPL relocated its headquarters from Sweden to the UK, having previously been based in Egypt and Germany. In Sweden, the immigration offices conducted a probe into the sect, and 69 of its members had their residence permits revoked. In a series of rulings handed down in 2022, the Immigration Court ordered dozens of members of the group to be deported, although most of them had already moved to the UK by the time the rulings came down. AROPL condemned the investigations as racist and religious persecution.
