Charismatic Pastor Arrested on Attempted Murder Charges
Charismatic pastor Phil Aguilar and six other members of Set Free Soldiers, the Christian biker club he founded, were arrested Wednesday morning being. The pastor is being held on an illegal weapons possession charge. One hundred and fifty police raided the men’s homes in Anaheim, Calif., Costa Mesa, Calif., and Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., at 5 a.m., the Los Angeles Times reported.
“These are all false accusations,” Rock Aguilar, told the local CBS affiliate in Los Angeles. “This was jumping the gun on something that was nothing.”
Phil Aguilar, senior pastor of Set Free Worldwide Ministries, which has described itself as too good for the world and too bad for the church, is a self-professed former drug addict and ex-convict. The ministry, founded in 1982, is known for reaching people discharged from parole, state prisons and county jails, as well as convicted felons.
“I am a sinner saved by the grace of God,” Phil Aguilar wrote on his MySpace page; Set Free Ministry’s website was apparently taken down Wednesday. “I may not always do right, but I make an attempt on a daily basis to do the right thing to be a good soldier for Jesus!!!”
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s department’s website, Aguilar was scheduled to appear in court Friday.