CALIFORNIA, United States - The leader of an international religious organisation is being held in the US on charges of human trafficking, child rape and other felonies.
Naasón Joaquín García, who heads La Luz del Mundo (The Light of the World), was arrested after arriving at Los Angeles airport, California prosecutors said.
Mr García, known as "the Apostle" among his followers, and his three female co-defendants are facing 26 charges.
La Luz del Mundo said it was confident Mr García would be proven innocent.
The organisation, which has headquarters in Mexico, says it has more than a million followers around the globe.
In recent years its influence has spread to the US, particularly in parts of California with large Hispanic populations.
In a statement released on Tuesday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Mr García, a Mexican national, and the three women allegedly committed 26 felonies in southern California between 2015 and 2018.
These included human trafficking, production of child sex abuse images and forcible rape of a minor.(FA)