National security officers in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen stormed into a Catholic church during its service and arrested 10 people on Sunday.

The arrests were believed to be in retaliation for self-exiled Chinese activist Shi Minglei’s Tuesday meeting with officials from the U.S. State Department. Shi is married to Cheng Yuan, the head of human rights advocacy group Changsha Funeng, and used to attend Mass at the raided Shenzhen Trinity Gospel Harvest Church in Longgang District.

During Sunday’s Mass, which was attended by 20 people, government agents broke into the church and arrested two pastors, a clergyperson and seven churchgoers. Video clips circulated online revealed two people, who appeared to be pastors Cao Yuan and Mao Zhibin, arguing with law enforcement.

Although the Chinese constitution guarantees citizens freedom of religious belief and the protection of normal religious activities, the atheist Chinese Communist Party has for years attempted to stifle religious practices, bulldozing churches and replacing holy imagery with Communist figures.

According to Shi, the church had never encountered such an incident before. She suspected it was because of her meeting with U.S. officials on April 20.

The self-exiled activist said she received messages from her relatives in mainland China expressing concerns for her safety and that of her daughter. They also warned her against meeting U.S. officials again.

Established in March 2016, Changsha Funeng aims to promote equality, the rights of the disabled and family planning. Cheng and two other members, Wuge Jianxiong and Liu Yongze, were taken away by national security agents last July and were later charged with subversion of state power.

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