Beijing, China - Police in China have reportedly arrested 36 people, including pastors and students, in a raid on a school that is operated by an underground church.
A US-based religious rights group says more than 50 police officers, some in anti-riot gear, swooped down on the school in Anhui province early Wednesday morning as classes were about to begin.
The Texas-based China Aid Association has released a statement saying the officers, who were armed with electric batons, took almost everyone in the Little Shanghai Tailoring School into custody.
The Association says the school teaches Bible studies and sewing.
The arrests are believed to be part of a wider crackdown against a network of churches that refuse to register with the government.
China allows worship only in state-approved churches.
The AFP newsagency says local police have either denied knowledge of the incident or refused to comment.