Leah Remini and A&E Accused of Inciting Scientology Murder

Details on the stabbing that occurred outside of the organization's headquarters in Australia

By Jess Cohen Jan 15, 2019 7:02 PMTags
Leah Remini David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Leah Remini and her A&E series Scientology and the Aftermath are being accused of inciting a murder outside of Scientology headquarters in Sydney, Australia.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 24-year-old Church of Scientology member Chih-Jen Yeh was stabbed in the neck with a large kitchen knife earlier this month. A 16-year-old boy has been accused of the stabbing attack, which reportedly occurred while he was visiting the center ahead of his mother's "purification ceremony." Yeh later died at the hospital from his injuries. According to The Hollywood ReporterYeh was a Scientology security worker who was escorting the teenager's mother to her purification ceremony.

Following the death of Yeh, Scientology spokeswoman Karen Pouw sent a letter to A+E Networks Group president Paul Buccieri. In the letter, first published by The Underground Bunker, Pouw claimed that the teenager "spouted vicious religious hatred and propaganda, incited by A&E and the Leah Remini/Mike Rinder series" before stabbing the victim.

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"The attacker was inspired by an anti-Scientology website that featured your people and included a link to Remini's show," the letter continued. "Week after week, month after month, and now year after year, this series has poisoned the airwaves in an avowed effort to create hatred against the Scientology religion and Scientologists. Hatred and propaganda always find their mark, especially among those weak and vulnerable to their appeals. And now it has born strange and bitter fruit."

The letter went on to state, "For years, A&E executives ignored our warnings that the series was inspiring bigotry and violence. You knew what you were doing. Your intent was to stir up hate and turn it into cash. Now somebody has been murdered. Your indifference and obsession with stirring hate underwrote this murder."

Remini was a member of the church for more than 30 years until she exited in 2013.

E! News has reached out to Remini and Scientology, A&E declined to comment.