China has detained 180 members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group for spreading rumors and recruiting new followers amid the SARS epidemic, state radio said on Thursday. The practitioners were all arrested in the northern province of Hebei, it reported. Police officials were not immediately available for comment. “They spread doomsday theories in a bid to cause panic in society and claimed that the SARS outbreak in China was a warning to those who persecute and hate the Falun Dafa,” it said, using another name for the group. “They also spread falsehoods that people who practice Falun Gong will not contract SARS in order to try to spread the cult and recruit more followers,” it said. Full Story