Newsday: 10 Commune Arrests

10 Commune Arrests

Newsday (Melville, NY) 1990-07-10

Barcelona police said yesterday they had jailed 10 adults, including three Americans, and placed 22 minors under protective custody after raiding a commune belonging to an outlawed religious cult.

The three U.S. citizens, six Spaniards and one Briton were arrested Sunday in raids on two villas near Barcelona that allegedly belonged to members of the Children of God sect. A police spokesman said the suspects were expected to appear before a judge today on suspicion of kidnaping and illegal proselytizing.

Children of God, also known as the Family of Love, was founded in California in 1968 by an itinerant preacher named David Berg. The group came to Europe in the early 1970s and has been criticized by parents of members who say it relies on brainwashing and hypnotism to woo its young members.