14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most shocking pieces of news of last week was that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from Tom Cruise in New York and was seeking sole custody of their daughter Suri. A new report suggests Scientology might not let her go that easily.
As we also reported over the weekend, there is a lot of speculation about how Katie chose to blindside Tom with the divorce papers because she wanted the element of surprise so she could protect Suri.
Word has it that the Church of Scientology – and Tom's involvement in it in particular – was the main reason she wanted out of the 5-year marriage, because she believed Suri would be raised completely torn off from the world, as a devout Scientologist.
TMZ is now saying that the cult may have put a tail on the star – and has been keeping an eye on her and Suri for some weeks now, before she'd even filed for divorce.
“Katie Holmes believes Scientology now views her as a threat to the organization and has put a team on her tail, sources close to the actress tell TMZ,” the celebrity e-zine reports.
“We're told Katie believes in recent weeks – as the Discord between her and Tom Cruise grew – Scientology has been following her moves, especially in New York City,” TMZ adds.
This would make sense, considering that she and Tom had spent the last weeks of their marriage apart, during which time she even took advantage of the situation to buy an apartment in Manhattan for herself and Suri.
TMZ further says that others too have noted a tail on Katie.
“This does not appear to be the mind of a paranoid person. People who have photographed Katie multiple times tell TMZ there have been several 'mysterious' men and vehicles around Katie's apartment and following her when she's out,” says the e-zine.
The Church of Scientology, on the other hand, denies it's doing such a thing.
In the meantime, reports claim Tom was planning to ship Suri away to be initiated into the beliefs of Scientology, so Katie decided now was the perfect time to act and get away.
She filed for divorce in NYC because the law there grants custody only to one parent in such cases, and she believes she has good odds of her being it – and not Tom.