JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say they have uncovered a messianic Jewish sect that prostituted women to “save Israel.”

In a statement Sunday, police said officers arrested four people on suspicion of coercing women into having sex with non-Jews and exploited them sexually by making them addicted to drugs and alcohol. The reasoning behind the plot was “to save the people of Israel and bring redemption nearer.”

Police say the four suspects, two men and two women, were part of a messianic sect. A four-month long investigation revealed they were brainwashing the women into believing they were helping the Jewish people by having sex with non-Jews while pocketing the money earned for themselves. The four included two from the West Bank settlement on Kiryat Arba.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.