Israeli diplomats warned that cult may launch revenge attack

LONDON, Jan. 10 (JTA) — British police have warned Israeli diplomats based here of a possible attack by members of a Denver-based doomsday cult whose leader is hiding in England. The cultists may be planning a terror attack disguised as the work of Islamic fundamentalists, police said. Monte Kim Miller, the leader of the Concerned Christians cult, is believed to have entered Britain on the pretext of conducting research at Oxford University. Fourteen members of the sect Miller leads returned to Denver over the weekend after they were deported from Israel. Acting on information provided by the FBI, Israeli officials tracked the cultists for several months before launching raids earlier this month on two of their homes in the Jerusalem area. The cultists were planning violent actions during the coming year in order to try to bring about the second coming of Jesus, Israeli officials charged. The 14 cultists surfaced in Israel after Miller and more than 70 of his followers disappeared from their headquarters in Denver last September. Some of the disciples are said to have accompanied Miller to Britain, while others are reported to be in Mexico and Greece. Israel and Britain have been sharing information in an effort to track the movements of the cultists. British officials were alerted to Miller’s presence in England after the cult members arrived in Jerusalem. Miller, a 44-year-old former business executive, has reportedly instructed his followers that he speaks the word of God and that they will die if they do not serve him. Some of the cult members maintain contact with their families, but mask their whereabouts by communicating only via e-mail. Miller is said to have extracted substantial sums of money from his followers. Two reportedly handed over a business to him, and he also acquired a major share in a construction company, which he ran with two other followers. Miller and his wife, Marcia, were the subject of bankruptcy proceedings in October 1997. He is said to owe tens of thousands of dollars in taxes, as well as debts to a string of Denver radio stations that ran his advertisements. He is reported to have informed his creditors that they should be happy to serve God.