Chinese police have arrested nearly 1,000 suspected members of the illegal Quannengshen (Almighty God) cult, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The suspects, all seized since June, are allegedly involved in more than 500 cases.

"Quannengshen cheats people, takes their money and violates the law under the guise of a religion. A series of acts by its members have harmed people's lives and property and disrupted social stability," the ministry said.

Five members of the cult stood trial in Yantai, east China's Shandong Province, on August 21 for the killing of a woman at a McDonald's outlet in the province's Zhaoyuan County in May, when the deceased refused to give her telephone number to them, as they allegedly tried to recruit new members for the organization.

Founded in the 1990s in central China's Henan Province, Quannengshen claims that Jesus has been resurrected as Yang Xiangbin, wife of the group's founder Zhao Weishan. The couple fled to the United States in September 2000.