Police carried out a major operation in Crewe on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into allegations of serious sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery involving members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light.
Cheshire Police said officers raided three properties linked to the group, including Webb House, its headquarters in Crewe, with more than 500 officers involved in the operation from around 8.50am. Several arrests were made, although police had not publicly confirmed the exact number at the time of reporting.
Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley said the operation followed what he described as a “detailed and robust investigation” into reports of serious offences. He stressed that the police inquiry is not into the religion itself, but into the allegations reported against members of the group. Police said the alleged offences all relate to one woman who was a member of the group at the time and are reported to have taken place in 2023.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is led by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, who the group presents as its founder and religious leader. The group’s own website says it was founded by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, while recent reporting has described him as the founder of the movement and a prominent online figure who spreads its message through platforms including YouTube and TikTok.
For context, the group’s founder and leader, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, is a controversial figure because he does not present himself as a conventional cleric. The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light’s own materials describe him as the Qaim and the promised Mahdi, while outside reporting has noted that he has also been presented by followers as a messianic figure and, in some accounts, as a rightful spiritual successor in multiple Abrahamic traditions.
Those claims place him well outside mainstream Sunni and Shia Islam and are a major reason the movement has drawn scrutiny and criticism, alongside allegations from former members about pressure, control and financial demands, all of which the group has denied.
Webb House, a former orphanage, has been used as the group’s base since its relocation to Cheshire from Sweden in 2021. Reports indicate about 150 people are living there, including children who are educated at home.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light says it is a peaceful religious movement derived from Shia Islam and has previously denied wrongdoing through its legal representatives. Reports from former members have also alleged followers were pressured to hand over salaries or sell possessions, claims the group’s lawyers have disputed.
Despite the name, the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is not the same as the mainstream Ahmadiyya Muslim Community founded in India in the 19th century by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
Both movements place strong emphasis on messianic claims, which is one reason they are seen as standing outside traditional mainstream Sunni and Shia Islam.
The mainstream Ahmadiyya movement centres on the belief that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the promised Messiah and Mahdi, while the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light centres on claims around Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq as a divinely appointed end-times figure.
Cheshire Police said there was no wider risk to the community and that patrols had been increased to reassure local residents while the investigation continued.