500 Police Officers Raid Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light HQ Over Sexual Abuse Claims

*TL;DR: About 500 police officers raided the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light headquarters in Crewe, making several arrests and finding 56 children being home‑schooled.

Context Police launched a coordinated operation in northwest England after receiving a March complaint from a woman now living in Ireland. She alleged rape and sexual abuse at the group’s Crewe base in 2023. The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) blends Islamic teachings with conspiracy theories and moved its headquarters from Sweden to the UK in 2021.

Key Facts - Roughly 500 officers from across the north‑west entered the former orphanage‑turned‑headquarters and other Crewe properties on Wednesday morning. - Police executed search warrants and made a number of arrests, though the exact count remains unconfirmed by Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley. - The suspects include men and women of American, Mexican, British, German and Spanish nationality. - About 56 children live at the headquarters, where they receive home‑school education. Safeguarding measures are being coordinated with local partners. - The site houses around 150 adult residents in a Grade II‑listed building; additional followers live elsewhere in Crewe and abroad. - AROPL’s leader, who resides on the premises, claims supernatural abilities such as curing illness and making the moon disappear. - The group faced prior scrutiny in Sweden, where immigration authorities issued deportation orders to dozens of members, and the UK Home Office has investigated its use of skilled‑worker visas.

What It Means The raid signals a focused law‑enforcement effort on alleged individual crimes rather than a blanket attack on the religious group. Authorities are now tasked with protecting the children on site while processing the arrests. Ongoing investigations will determine whether further charges arise and how the group’s operations will be affected.

What to watch next: Updates on the number of arrests, the status of the 56 children, and any legal actions against AROPL’s leadership.