Japan executes cult-leader, six followers for deadly 1995 sarin attack
What's the story
Japan on Friday executed Shoko Asahara, the leader of doomsday cult that carried out deadly 1995 sarin attack on Tokyo's subway that killed 13 people and injured thousands. Shoko Asahara, a leader of Aum Shinrikyo sect, has been on death row for over a decade. "Six Aum members were also executed," a justice ministry official said. Those affected by the attack welcomed the execution.
Sarin gas attack
Sarin was released in liquid form on five subway carriages
The sarin had been released in liquid form on five subway carriages. Survivors recalled smelling something that resembled paint-thinner before starting to cough uncontrollably. "Liquid was spread on the floor in middle of the carriage, people were convulsing in their seats. One man was leaning against a pole, his shirt open, bodily fluids leaking out," Sakae Ito, who was on the Hibiya Line, said.
Attack's effect
Injured people were struggling for breath
Police were first alerted just after 8am. Panic soon set in, with subway workers screaming at people to evacuate. Injured people began staggering out for breath with watering eyes as the attack unfolded. The Japanese Self-Defense Force was called in and descended into the depths in hazmat suits and gas masks to assist the injured and deal with the poison.
Real name
Asahara was born as Chizuo Matsumoto
The hangings are the largest simultaneous execution in Japan since 1911, when 11 people were hanged for plotting to assassinate the emperor. Born as Chizuo Matsumoto, Asahara changed his name in 1980s, when Aum was being developed. The cult, now renamed Aleph, officially disowned Asahara in 2000, but it has never been banned and experts say the former guru retained a strong influence.
New cult leader
Asahara's execution may trigger the naming of new cult-leader: Experts
Despite the horror that persists over Aum's subway attack, some experts had warned against the execution of Asahara and his acolytes. They fear his death may trigger the naming of a new cult leader, possibly his second son. "The execution of Asahara's followers risks elevating them to "martyrs" in the eyes of remaining cult adherents," warned Taro Takimoto, a lawyer for relatives of cultists.