Indonesian police have arrested seven members of the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah, an Islamic sect led by Ahmad Moshaddeq, a man who claims to be the last prophet.
Sources said Moshaddeq, whose real name is Salam, was among those arrested, although the police have yet to confirm this.
The arrests come after months of tension between the sect and the country's mainstream Islamic groups, which have been vocal in condemning the newcomer.
On October 4 the Indonesian Ulama Council, the main government-sanctioned religious institution, issued a fatwa, or decree, labelling the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah 'heretic'.
Anwar Ibrahim, head of the council's fatwa division, said that the decision followed months of study and was based on the sect's deviant views.
'Moshaddeq claims to be a prophet, while Muslims believe that our last prophet was Mohammed. He also says that prayers are not compulsory and that the existing interpretations of the Koran are wrong,' Mr Ibrahim said.
