Cult’s suicide plans doomed

The authorities on the Spanish island of Tenerife say they have foiled an attempt by members of a religious sect to commit mass suicide.

Officials said police arrested a German psychologist, Heide Fittkau-Garthe, just hours before she planned to lead her followers in a mass suicide on top of the Teide volcano.

The British, German and Spanish cult members people involved believed the world would end on Thursday evening.

They told police a space ship would have come to carry away their bodies for re-birth in a new world.

Those involved are thought to be former members of the Order of the Solar Temple – the cult responsible for mass suicides in Canada, France and Switzerland over the last three years.

Four German children, aged between six and 12, were among the possible victims.

When Spanish police raided the Tenerife home of the group’s leader, they found drums containing an unknown substance.

Some cult members had traveled to the island specifically from Germany over the last few weeks.

They had said their farewells to their families claiming they would meet again “in the other world.”

Read Another Article

Mass suicide bid on top of Tenerife’s volcano fails
Spanish police foil mass suicide

Related News Articles Topic(s): Heide Fittkau-Garthe • Isis Holistic Centre Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Heide Fittkau-Garthe Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog