According to Dutch TV RTV Drenthe, Josef B. and the seven family members were all members of the Unification Church, a controversial religious organization also known as the Moon Sect, born in South Korea.

The Dutch police on Thursday arrested the father of a family kidnapped for almost a decade on a farm, explaining to find out if a "certain belief in a faith" was at the origin of the case. The 67-year-old is suspected of violating the freedom and health of others and money laundering after he and his six alleged children were found on the farm in Ruinerwold (north), according to police.

"We are facing an exceptional situation in this business". This is the second arrest in this case: the tenant of the farm, a 58-year-old Austrian identified by the media as Josef B., was arrested on Tuesday. A judge ordered Thursday his continued detention for two more weeks. "We are facing an exceptional situation in this case, which people have been living in this house since 2010, away from society," police said in a statement. The group "claims to be a family": the 67-year-old man arrested on Thursday is said to be the father of the six young men, including the man who gave the alarm after escaping to a local bar.

"We have reason to believe that the people involved did not stay there against their will.We are investigating whether a certain belief in a way of life or faith led to the living conditions in which these people were found. "explained the police. "The situation we have discovered requires a cautious approach where the young adults found receive care and attention." According to Dutch TV RTV Drenthe, Josef B. and the seven family members were all members of the Unification Church, a controversial religious organization also known as the Moon Sect, born in South Korea.