BEIJING (AP)--Two leaders of China's underground "house church" movement were detained in central China and could face criminal charges, a police official said Saturday.
Luo Gang and He Ping were detained March 12 in Honghu county in Hubei province, said the county police official. He would give only his surname, Zhang.
China allows only government-controlled religious groups. It has imprisoned and harassed leaders of the flourishing nondenominational Protestant "house church" movement, so called because worship often takes place in private homes.
Despite a 3-year crackdown, the movement led by evangelical preachers has attracted millions of followers.
Luo and He are leaders of a "house church" in Hubei with about 1 million members, according to New York-based Human Rights in China.
Their church was banned in 1998 as an "evil cult," according to Zhang, the police official. He said the pair probably would be prosecuted on charges of running a banned movement.