``Falun Gong is an illegal organisation with every feature of a cult,'' the official Xinhua news agency said. Xinhua said cults like Falun Gong -- which combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism, meditation and breathing exercises -- were ``very dangerous to society''.

``Cults are anti-government and most of their leaders have political ambitions,'' it said. ``They also attempt to take the place of the government,'' Xinhua said in an indication that detained key members of the movement faced prosecution.

China outlawed Falun Gong on July 22, calling it an illegal organisation that corrupted people's minds and sabotaged stability.

It offered a reward of 50,000 yuan -- five years wages for an ordinary urban worker -- for information leading to arrest of Li Hongzhi, the US-based leader of the group.

Xinhua likened Li to Americancult leader David Koresh who died with 80 followers in a fire in Waco, Texas, in 1993 when federal agents stormed their branch Davidian Compound after a 51-day standoff. Both ``brainwashed'' practitioners, it said.

Xinhua said Li claimed he used his magical powers to postpone the end of the world by 30 years and that only Falun Gong could save the human race. Key members of the movement ``harboured evil political purposes,'' Xinhua said without elaboration.

Li says Falun Gong, which claims about 100 million members around the world, is apolitical and poses no threat to China. The government puts the number of Falun Gong adherents at two million. By comparison, the communist party has around 60 million members.