Cult Leader Mehdi Zand Denied Early Release & New Details Emerge of Greusome Attack by Zand & Co. on Former Disciples

There has been a number of news items circulating in the press regarding Mehdi Zand, the leader of the World of Yaad cult, and the violent attack that he and 2 of his disciples carried out on former members of the group.

In an article in the Uxbridge Gazette, one of the victims, recounts in horrifying detail, how he and his co-worker were viciously attacked by Mehdi Zand and feared for their lives. The full article can be found on the Gazette website.

Just after the publishing of the Gazette article, the Watford Observer reported that Mehdi Zand had been denied early release from his current prison sentence, due to the fact that he and his group still represent a serious threat to the lives of those members of his group who have left the organization (apparently, nearly all members save for a few family members and close friends, deserted the group after revelations surfaced regarding Mehdi Zand's gross misconduct towards his followers - financially, psychologically and even sexually). You can read the full account of the former member's terrifying story on the Observer site.

Let's hope that Mehdi Zand and the other 2 attackers/followers stay behind bars for as long as possible. These guys sound angry and seriously dangerous.

Blogosphere Reports on More Articles Regarding Mehdi Zand's Prison Sentencing

There are a few new reports out on Mehdi Zand, leader of The World of Yaad cult, and his recent prison sentencing. You can follow these two blogs, which are frequently updated:

• The Truth About Mehdi Zand
• The Truth About The World of Yaad

The two new articles both sites posted can also be found below:

• Hemel Hempstead city's site: "Three Men Given Combined Sentence of 11 Years for Assault and Violent Disorder:
• Smeggy's: "Leader of Religious Movement Jailed for Thuggery"

Mehdi Zand, Leader of World of Yaad Cult, Spending 'Everlasting Life' in Prison

There has been some further coverage of the Mehdi Zand / World of Yaad debacle in the press. You can read a new article from Religious Watch entitled 'Spending Everlasting Life in Jail' on their website. The article is also republished in full in the below text.

Spending Everlasting Life in Jail...Leader of religious movement jailed for thuggery

Three members of a religious movement who attacked two former followers have been jailed for a total of 11 years.

The victims were members of The World of Yaad, which claims to hold the secret to everlasting life.

They angered their attackers after they left the religion, and were also embroiled in a bitter business dispute with them.

The trio forced their way into a restaurant owned by the victims and made threats before seriously injuring one of the victims, who lives in Rickmansworth. The man received serious facial injuries and has since undergone facial reconstruction.

Francesco Zand was jailed for seven years for grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. Mohammed Kashefi, who pleased guilty to actual bodily harm, received a two year prison term. Mehdi Zand, the leader of The World of Yaad, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties' disassociation with Mehdi Zand's movement.

Cult Leader Mehdi Zand Found Guilty in Violent Attack, Gets 2 Years in Prison

Mehdi Zand, notorious leader of the extremely secretive The World of Yaad cult group, has been jailed for 2 years following a sentencing which took place on the 25th of September.

From what Cult Watch UK has been able to piece together from various press and police reports, Mehdi Zand and two of his followers viciously attacked two former members of the group at a restaurant in Hertfordshire late last year. The owner of the restaurant and one of his employees, both former members of the group, were in the restaurant, which was locked at the time, when the trio broke into the restaurant and severely injured both victims - one was so badly injured he had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery. It seems that Mehdi Zand and his followers were trying to take out some type of revenge on the former members for leaving the group.

Amazingly enough, even though neither Mehdi Zand nor his two followers were injured and the two victims were severely harmed, the trio pleaded innocent to all charges against them at the trial. They then pleaded guilty on the 15th of July in what would seem to be some type of plea bargain and were sentenced by the Crown Court in St Albans on the 25th of September. Cult leader Zand got 2 years in prison (which, according to reports, means he will be in prison for a further six months at a minimum, following previous jail time served before the trial), while Francesco Zand (who apparently changed his last name in order to show his devotion to the group's leader) came away with the harshest sentence of 7 years in jail, and Mohammed Kashefi (the other follower) receiving 2 years.

Mehdi Zand pleaded guilty to encouraging his two followers to commit violent acts and also committing them himself (violent disorder); F. Zand pleaded guilty to both grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent; and Kashefi pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm.

You can find a picture of convicted cult leader Zand on the Hertfordshire Constabulary's website (along with a full report of the attack and sentencing), and Cult Watch UK is pleased to see that wikipedia has placed this dangerous man on its List of Convicted Religious Leaders. We are also encouraged to learn that most of The World of Yaad's followers seem to have left the group about 2 years ago following revelations about various forms of abuse the that members had undergone during their time with the group (including psychological and sexual), and that only a handful of devotees are reported to remain part of the group besides Zand's own family members.

Other news organisations and sites covering this case can be found below.

• Watford Observer
• Ealing Times
• Uxbridge Gazette
• WorldWide Religous News
• The Truth About Mehdi Zand
• The Truth About The World of Yaad
• Report on Zand
• Zand Arrested

Banana Sex Cult Leader Hunted by Police in Papua New Guinea

The UK's Telegraph newspaper is reporting that police in Papua New Guinea are hunting the leader of a sex cult who promised villagers a bumper banana harvest if they had sex in public.

The full article can be foundhere, with a brief excerpt below.

It said the cult leader was wanted for a range of alleged offences over the past four months, including threatening people and illegal sexual activity.

Inspector Adam Busil said officers had surrounded the man's hut early on Saturday but he refused to come out. The suspect then made a dash for freedom with about seven naked followers.

"He used his two wives as a human shield to avoid being shot at by the policemen," he said

"They were called on to surrender but they refused."

He said extra officers were being called in to track down the members of the group.

Bloggers Report that Mehdi Zand and 3 Followers Still in Prison

The Truth About Mehdi Zand and The Truth About The World of Yaad blogs have picked up on a story circulating in the media today that Mehdi Zand and his three follower - who were arrested after a violent incident at the Blue Fire restaurant in Rickmansworth - are all still in jail until next week's delayed bail hearing. A court date has been set for 6 July 2009, when all 4 men will be tried.

It also appears that Mehdi Zand, the head of The World of Yaad, and the other three men have all pleaded 'Not Guilty'. Each man was charged with 2 counts of Grievous Bodily Harm with Intent. The sentences, if found guilty, could be quite severe.

The article that appeared in both the Ealing Times and Watford Observer can be found below.

Men Deny Rickmansworth Assault

12:15pm Tuesday 13th January 2009

By Neil Skinner

Four men have denied involvement in a violent assault at a Rickmansworth restaurant.

The men were arrested after an incident at the Blue Fire Restaurant, in Money Hill Parade, on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 12, during which two men were seriously injured.

Mehdi Zand, Francesco Zand, and Mohammed Kashefi, all of Tower Hill, Chipperfield, appeared with Hamid Mokaram-Afshari, of Northolt, at St Albans Crown Court yesterday afternoon.

All pleaded not guilty to two charges of wounding with intent to cause GBH and were remanded in custody for trial on Monday, July 6.

Cult Leader Wayne Bent Found Guilty

The full article can be found on Religion News Blog. The first part can be found below.

Leader of apocalyptic sect found guilty

TAOS, N.M. (AP) - Jurors in Taos on Monday convicted the leader of an apocalyptic northeastern New Mexico sect on one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Jurors deliberated for more than five hours Friday without reaching a verdict in the charges against Wayne Bent, and state District Judge Gerald Baca sent them home for the weekend.

Bent, leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, faced two counts each of criminal sexual contact of a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in allegations involving 14 and 16-year old sisters in 2006.

Prosecutor Emilio Chavez told jurors the case was not about religion and that Bent must be treated like anyone else.

Two UK-based cult leaders arrested

Lee Thompson, a cult leader in the North East of England, was recently arrested for forcing a lover to sleep with other men. This has been quite widely reported on. There is a good article inThe Norton Echo. I have put some of the article here in case you're interested.

A CULT leader who took his sex slaves for walks on a lead in a North-East town has been jailed for three years for forcing a lover to sleep with other men.

Lee Thompson had such a dominating influence over the woman that she did whatever he told her to – even though she did not want to, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.

The self-proclaimed pagan faith teacher and self-styled sex-master – charged under an alias, Harrington – was caught after his exploits were revealed by The Northern Echo.

His former girlfriend read about his sex cult in Darlington two years ago and contacted police about her time with the fantasist some years earlier.

During his time with the lover, Thompson told her his grandmother, from Blyth, Northumberland, was a high priestess and had passed on her powers to him.

After moving around the UK and settling in Darlington, he took up the Kaotian way of life – based on Sixties sci-fi novels, in which men dominate women and treat them as slaves.

His home in Forster Street was investigated by police in May 2006 when the cult was uncovered, but Thompson made out that no one in his master-slave relationships was harmed.

The cult came to light after complaints that he led a female slave around the town centre on a lead – and they were banned from their favourite butchers stall because of their behaviour.

There have also been scattered reports that Mehdi Zand, leader of the secretive World of Yadd cult, has also been arrested with a number of his followers after an incident at a restaurant in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire. There seem to be a few blogs following the these developments, and there have also been some articles in the Watford Observer and Ealing Times. One of the articles can be found here:

Four men have been arrested after a violent burglary at a Rickmansworth restaurant. Police have appealed for information in connection with an incident at the Blue Fire Restaurant, in Moneyhill Parade, yesterday afternoon.

It is believed that intruders forced their way into the property at around 5pm, where two men sustained serious injuries and were rushed to hospital.

Francesco Zand, 36, Mohammed Kashefi, 48, and Mehdi Zand, 47, all of Tower Hill, Chipperfield, will appear with Hamid Mokaram-Afshari, 50, of Northolt, in front of magistrates this morning.

A 47-year-old woman, also from Chipperfield, was also arrested and has been bailed.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown, from Watford CID, said: “This was a violent attack in which two men have sustained serious injuries.

“It took place during rush hour and I am appealing to anyone who may have seen or witnessed the incident or have any information at all to come forward."

Anyone with information can contact DS Brown on 01923 472494, or alternatively Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Important New Leak of Scientology Cult Insider Documents

Interesting development here.

In England, can you call Scientology a cult?

A teenager who was facing legal action for calling the Church of Scientology a “cult” has today been told he will not be taken to court.

The Crown Prosecution Service ruled the word was neither “abusive or insulting” to the church and no further action would be taken against the boy.

See full article here.

Why is there not more information on cults in the UK?

We have started this site to try and bring more information to the public about dangerous cults which can be very harmful toward their members' (and members' families) lives.

Hopefully we'll be able to report on some things that don't make it into the press, and that should.

- Cult Watch UK