Ten arrested from religious group in Crewe are released on bail

Ten people arrested as part of a sex offence investigation into members of a religious group have been released on bail.

Cheshire Constabulary said seven men and three women, aged between 30 and 44, were detained during an operation at sites operated by the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light on Wednesday.

Officers said they were investigating allegations dating back to 2023 involving one victim, a woman, who was a member of the group at the time.

The force initially said nine people had been arrested, but later updated the figure to 10 on Thursday.

More than 500 officers were involved in the raids and searches at three properties in the town, including a former orphanage called Webb House in Crewe, with around 150 people said to be living there.

The Ahmadi religious community, which is linked to a branch of Islam, moved to Cheshire in 2021 from Sweden, buying and basing themselves at Webb House.

On Friday, the force said the suspects - of American, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, British, German and Egyptian nationalities - had been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Police added that they were all subject to bail conditions and they had applied for Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders against five of the suspects.

The application for the civil orders, which place additional restrictions on individuals, is due to be heard before magistrates on Friday.

A number of welfare centres have been set up to look after 56 children who were all home-schooled and part of the local Ahmadi group, which was founded by Abdullah Hashem, who is reportedly an Egyptian-American.

The force also said they had charged 25 people with public order offences, alleged to have taken place while officers were carrying out Wednesday's raids.

Those people are due to appear before magistrates next month.

Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley said the arrests are "not an investigation into the religion" but "solely focuses on the serious allegations which have been reported to us".

"Following the warrants, we are continuing to work closely [with] our partners to provide the appropriate advice and safeguarding to other members of the group," he added in a statement.

Police said the investigation has been supported by officers from Europol, the Swedish Police Authority and the Garda in the Republic of Ireland.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ten arrested from religious group in Crewe are released on bail