The World of Yaad cult leader Mehdi Zand will spend this holiday season behind bars yet again because his request for early release has been denied, likely because of the serious threat that he and his disciples still pose to the former members group, nearly all of whom deserted the group in 2007.

The full article can be found on the Watford Observer site and also in full below.

26th November 2009, Watford Observer

No early release for 'cult leader'

An alleged cult leader jailed for his role in a vicious double assault has had his bid to win early release snuffed out.

Mehdi Zand, leader of a spiritual movement called the World of Yaad, was jailed at St Albans Crown Court in September for his role in the fracas at the Blue Fire Restaurant, in Money Hill Parade, Rickmansworth.

His bid to win early release, however, was rejected by a parole board last week.

The case dates back to the afternoon of November 11 last year, when Zand and two other men burst into the restaurant to settle a bitter personal and financial dispute.

In the fracas that followed, two staff were assaulted and one seriously injured by fellow cult member Francesco Zand, who was jailed for seven years Mehdi Zand, formerly of Tower Hill, Chipperfield, and fellow defendant Mohammed Kashefi, neither of whom landed any blows in the attack, were each handed two year jail terms.

The decision to keep Zand in jail has delighted the victims of the assault, one of whom, who did not wish to be named, sent a letter to Home Secretary Alan Johnson pleading for both men to remain in jail.

The letter claimed he represented an “ongoing threat” to both him and his family, adding: “I am frightened and shocked that there has been no due consideration of the wider threat of returning an influential thought-leader back home where he preaches to his devotees, exactly as he did before we were attacked.

“Allowing Mehdi Zand back to his original environment is not only an end to his punishment but a significant danger to others.”

Kashefi will learn the fate of his appeal for parole in the coming weeks. If successful, he will be released on license and his movements monitored by an electronic tag.

Hertfordshire Constabulary Publishes New Press Relase on Mehdi Zand's Prison Sentence

Here it is verbatim below. You can also click on the image above to see the actual article on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website.

November 1, 2009

THREE MEN GIVEN COMBINED SENTENCE OF 11 YEARS FOR ASSAULT AND VIOLENT DISORDER

By Corporate Communication Dept

THREE men who threatened and assaulted restaurateurs in Rickmansworth over a long-standing dispute involving the restaurant and a religious movement, were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 25 September.

Mehdi Zand (pictured), aged 48, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on 15 July to violent disorder.

Francesco Zand, aged 36, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Wednesday July 15 to grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

Mohammed Kashefi, aged 48, from Tower Hill in Chipperfield, Kings Langley, was sentenced after pleading guilty on Wednesday July 15 to actual bodily harm.

On Tuesday 11 November last year at about 5pm the trio forced their way into the Blue Fire restaurant on Uxbridge Road in Rickmansworth. The restaurant was locked and shut at the time.

They made threats against the two men in the restaurant over ownership of the business and the pair’s disassociation with a religious movement – The World of Yaad – of which Mehdi Zand is the leader.

During the incident one of the victims, a man from the Rickmansworth area, was injured by Francesco Zand. The man received considerable injuries to his face and has since undergone facial reconstruction.

The second victim, a man from North London, received minor injuries from Francesco Zand and Kashefi. He was also severely shaken by the incident.

Mehdi Zand was given a two-year prison sentence.

Francesco Zand was given a seven-year prison sentence.

Kashefi was given a two-year prison sentence.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: “This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties’ disassociation with Mehdi Zand’s movement.

“This attack was an extreme reaction to the situation and has had long term psychological and physical effects on the victims.

“The verdicts reflect that behaviour of this kind will simply not be tolerated in Hertfordshire.

“Should individuals attempt to take matters into their own hands to resolve disputes with violence, the consequences will be severe and harsh. You will very likely be given a custodial sentence.”

Mehdi Zand is "Spending Everlasting Life in Jail" According to Religious Watch Article

A new article has been published regarding the violent assault that Mehdi Zand, the leader of The World of Yaad, and his two followers carried out on two former members of the group. The full article can be found on Religious Watch's website. The text can also be found below.

Spending Everlasting Life in Jail...Leader of religious movement jailed for thuggery

Three members of a religious movement who attacked two former followers have been jailed for a total of 11 years.

The victims were members of The World of Yaad, which claims to hold the secret to everlasting life.

They angered their attackers after they left the religion, and were also embroiled in a bitter business dispute with them.

The trio forced their way into a restaurant owned by the victims and made threats before seriously injuring one of the victims, who lives in Rickmansworth. The man received serious facial injuries and has since undergone facial reconstruction.

Francesco Zand was jailed for seven years for grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. Mohammed Kashefi, who pleased guilty to actual bodily harm, received a two year prison term. Mehdi Zand, the leader of The World of Yaad, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Brown said: This was a violent targeted attack on two individuals over both the ownership of the restaurant and simply because of the injured parties' disassociation with Mehdi Zand's movement.

Mehdi Zand, Leader of The World of Yaad, and Followers Given 11 Year Prison Sentence

Mehdi Zand, leader of The World of Yaad, has been given a sentence of 2 years in jail after pleading guilty on 15 July to violent disorder. This means that he will be serving at least a further 6 months in prison, when taking into the amount of time he had already spent in prison ahead of the trial for this heinous crime, to which he and his two followers originally pleaded innocent.

These two followers, Francesco Zand and Mohammed Kashefi, also pleaded guilty on 15 July and were given jail sentences of 7 years and 2 years respectively on 25 September at the sentencing by judge Catterson. Francesco Zand had earlier pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, while Kashefi pleased guilty to actual bodily harm.

There are a number of news articles circulating about this incident, where Mehdi Zand and his followers attacked two former members of the group and inflicted immense harm to them at a restaurant in Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire in the UK.

You can read the news articles by clicking on the following links:

• Religious sect members jailed after attack on former members in the Uxbridge Gazzette (note that the same article can be found on the WorldWide Religious News website)
• Three men given combined sentence of 11 years for assault and violent disorder published by the Hertfordshire Constabulary
• Trio jailed for vicious restaurant attack in the Watford Observer

It seems that Wikipedia has also added Mehdi Zand to its 'List of Convicted Religious Leaders'.

You can also see previous posts on this site and the ones listed below for further background on this violent attack:

• Previous article from the Watford Observer
• Previous article from the Ealing Times
• The Truth about Mehdi Zand website