A cult leader who claims he is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ has been detained for two months in pretrial custody by a Russian court.
- Sergei Torop, 59, known as Vissarion, was arrested during a raid on Tuesday
- He claims he was reborn in 1990 as the literal reincarnation of the son of God
- The cult leader was arrested with aides Vadim Redkin and Vladimir Vedernikov
- The trio are accused of using ‘psychological violence’ against their followers
Two other leaders of his Church of the Last Testament, Vadim Redkin, a former rock star, and Vladimir Vedernikov, have also been placed in pre-trial detention.The trio are accused of using ‘psychological violence’ causing some followers ‘serious harm to their health’. Torop is a former Red Army conscript who claimed he was reborn in 1990 as the literal reincarnation of the son of God.
‘Torop will be placed in custody for two months, until November 22,’ said Judge Alla Veselykh at a court in Novosibirsk, Siberia’s largest city.
The group’s leaders are accused of using their followers’ money to make profit.
They face up to 12 years in jail if convicted.
The wispy-haired ‘Jesus’, aged 59, was held on Tuesday in a military-style raid on his Sun City religious headquarters in a Siberian village 2,600 miles east of Moscow.
