Mexico arrests members of La Luz del Mundo church as its leader faces trial in the US
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in central Mexico have arrested an American and 37 other people belonging to the religious group La Luz del Mundo, whose leader is facing sex trafficking charges before a New York court.
Michoacan state officials said 38 people were conducting tactical training with mostly replica weapons, but did not release identities of the suspects or the charges against them. The group had one handgun, 19 replica firearms, knives and tactical equipment, officials said.
La Luz del Mundo, which was born in Mexico’s central Jalisco state, has congregations across the United States and has come under the scrutiny of law enforcement for years.
A Michoacan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case, confirmed that all of the 38 people arrested were members of the religious group.
The arrests came just a day after the group’s leader, Naasón Joaquín García, pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges in a New York federal court, where he is charged along with his 79-year-old mother with sexually abusing generations of young followers.
García was accused of using his position as head of the church to sexually abuse children and women. The indictment said his father and grandfather, both deceased, did the same before him.
García is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in California where he was convicted of sexually abusing female followers who accused him of making them sex slaves.
As leader of La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World), Joaquín García was considered the “apostle,” and church members were taught that he would punish and condemn eternally anyone who doubted him, did not follow his teachings, or defied him, prosecutors said in a court filing that successfully argued against bail for Joaquín García’s mother.
Attorney Alan Jackson, who represents Joaquín García, described the indictment as the result of “a reckless campaign of government overreach.”
Associated Press
