Russia on Tuesday arrested a Siberian cult leader who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus, along with his top aides, in an operation involving armed troops and aircraft. The Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said it had detained Sergei Torop known to his followers as Vissarion the Teacher, or the Jesus of Siberia, and two of his aides.
Footage released by investigators showed 59-year-old Vissarion, with long grey hair and a beard, and two other men being led by masked commandos from a van and boarding a helicopter.
The operation in a remote settlement in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region included members of the FSB security service and other law enforcement agencies.
