September 2026: Further developments and discontinued charges

Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq,
Jan. 1, 2025 By AimanAbir18plus –
Own work, CC BY 4.0, Wikipedia

The situation surrounding the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light continued to develop throughout September 2026.

It is important to reiterate that throughout our reporting on the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), we have consistently maintained the principle that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The allegations and criminal proceedings discussed in this report should therefore not be interpreted as findings of guilt. Where allegations have been made, we have sought to identify them clearly as allegations and distinguish them from established facts, court findings and information provided by official sources.

This principle applies equally to all AROPL members who have been arrested, questioned or charged in connection with the ongoing investigations. The fact that an individual has been arrested or charged does not, in itself, establish that they have committed an offence.

At the same time, our position regarding the nature of the organisation itself remains unchanged. Based on our research into AROPL’s teachings, leadership structure, publications, recruitment methods, internal authority structures and publicly documented activities, we continue to regard AROPL as a high-control religious group displaying characteristics that we would class as cultic.

This assessment is not dependent upon the outcome of any criminal investigation or prosecution. Our analysis of AROPL as a high-control group concerns its ideology, leadership authority, mechanisms of influence, organisational structure and the relationship between its teachings and the behaviour expected of followers. It should therefore not be confused with a finding that any particular individual has committed a criminal offence.

Our use of the term “cult” is likewise intended as a descriptive term relating to high-control religious and social dynamics, rather than as a declaration of criminality. The term is often used differently in popular, religious and academic contexts; our assessment is based on the characteristics and patterns we have documented through our research.

On 4 September, Cheshire East Council confirmed that it was continuing to work with Cheshire Police following the April raid on Webb House. Council leader Nick Mannion stressed that the police investigation was not an investigation into AROPL’s religion itself, but concerned serious allegations that had been reported to police. Those allegations include sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery.

The wider investigation also remained active during September. Police had previously said that their enquiries had raised concerns about the welfare of children associated with the group, and further arrests had taken place during the summer in connection with allegations including human trafficking, child neglect and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Cheshire Police said the investigation remained ongoing and repeatedly asked the public not to speculate while enquiries continued.

On 22 September, BBC File on 4 Investigates published a detailed investigation into the history and development of AROPL. The programme examined the movement’s origins, its leadership under Abdullah Hashem, its relocation through several countries and its eventual establishment at Webb House in Crewe. It also included claims made by Abdullah Hashem’s brother, AbdelRahman Hashem, who alleged that Abdullah had effectively taken over the movement and made it his own. Those claims were rejected by Abdullah Hashem’s lawyer, who described the suggestion that Hashem does not genuinely believe himself to be the Mahdi as false and highly damaging.

The BBC investigation is significant because it places the events taking place in Crewe within the wider international history of AROPL, rather than treating the April police operation as an isolated incident. It also demonstrates the increasing level of mainstream media scrutiny being directed towards the organisation, its leadership and its teachings.

There was also an important development concerning the separate public-order cases arising from the April police operation.

On 28 September, it was reported that cases against 14 residents who had been charged with obstructing police during the April raid had been discontinued. More than 500 officers had taken part in warrants at three addresses connected with AROPL on 29 April. Prosecutors had alleged that some residents obstructed officers attempting to enter rooms at Webb House, including by linking arms. Among those whose cases were discontinued were Dareem Charles and Marc Ferreira, both of whom had pleaded not guilty.

The discontinuation of these cases is an important development, but it should not be described as a finding that the defendants were guilty or innocent. The cases against these particular defendants were discontinued rather than proceeding to a trial and verdict. Our reporting therefore does not treat the discontinuation as establishing either guilt or innocence.

It is also important to distinguish the discontinued public-order cases from the separate police investigation into the allegations of sexual offences, forced marriage and modern slavery. The discontinuation of these particular obstruction cases does not mean that the wider investigation has been discontinued, nor does it establish whether the underlying allegations are true or false. Cheshire Police has continued to describe the wider investigation as ongoing.

The remaining defendants in the public-order proceedings are expected to face trial in April 2027. Earlier court reporting recorded that the defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, and that case-management hearings had been scheduled for September.

The September developments therefore present a more complicated picture than simply saying that “charges were dropped”. Some obstruction/public-order cases have been discontinued, while other defendants remain due to face trial, and the separate investigation into serious allegations involving members of AROPL remains active.

For that reason, any assessment of AROPL should distinguish between proven facts, allegations under investigation, discontinued proceedings and the organisation’s own responses to those allegations.

Our position throughout this investigation remains unchanged: we will report allegations as allegations, criminal charges as charges, court decisions as court decisions, and established findings as established findings. We do not presume guilt, and we do not seek to prejudge the outcome of any ongoing investigation or future trial. At the same time, we stand by our independent assessment that AROPL exhibits the characteristics of a high-control group and, in our analysis, would be appropriately described as a cultic organisation.

On 4 September, Cheshire East Council said it continued to work with Cheshire Police and reiterated that the police investigation was into the serious allegations reported, not the religion itself. https://crewe.nub.news/news/local-news/council-leader-provides-update-on-investigation-into-allegations-surrounding-webb-house-religious-group-307261

On 16 September, UNADFI reported that two further suspects had been arrested in connection with the wider investigation, while a third person previously arrested was rearrested. This followed earlier police announcements concerning concerns about children’s welfare. https://www.unadfi.org/actualites/groupes-et-mouvances/deux-nouveaux-suspects-ont-ete-arretes-dans-le-cadre-de-lenquete-visant-ahmadi-religion-of-peace-and-light/

On 22 September, BBC File on 4 Investigates published a substantial investigation into AROPL’s history. It included allegations from Abdullah Hashem’s brother, AbdelRahman Hashem, who claimed Abdullah had “hijacked” the movement; Abdullah’s lawyer rejected that as false and damaging. The programme also examined the April police investigation and the group’s history in different countries. https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cx05rv50pgldo

On 28 September, the prosecution discontinued the cases against 14 of the residents who had faced public-order/obstruction charges following the April raid. The remaining defendants are still due to face trial in April 2027, according to the reporting available. https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/liverpool/news/ahmadi-14

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