World IN BRIEF : FRANCE : Police Crack Down on Suspected Cultists
From Times Wire Reports
Fearing that a full moon and the spring equinox might prompt another mass suicide, French police cracked down on suspected members of a doomsday cult. About 200 officers joined in the three-day sweep, questioning 50 people, detaining six and searching homes and offices, police sources said. The raids were ordered by a judge investigating the Order of the Solar Temple, a doomsday cult based in Switzerland. Sixty-nine Solar Temple members died in two mass murder-suicides, the latest in December.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
