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Mastermind of Tokyo subway gas attack faces verdict
Former cult guru Shoko Asahara stands accused of the most terrifying crimes in modern Japan: masterminding the 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subways, stamping out rebellious followers and critics, and amassing arsenals of chemical and biological weapons. Asahara's eight-year trial reaches its climax today with a verdict and possible death sentence on charges he ordered a string of deeds that killed a total of 27 people, panicked Japan and alarmed the world with a deadly mix of high-tech terrorism and religious fanaticism. The former guru's lawyers argued in court that Asahara whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto had lost control over his Aum Shinrikyo cult by the time of the March 20, 1995, Tokyo subway attack, which killed 12 people. But with abundant testimony of his responsibility by former cultists and Japan's 99 per cent conviction rate, a guilty verdict is widely expected. Eleven of his followers have already been sentenced to hang, though none has been executed yet. Security was expected to be tight today to guard against attempts by Asahara followers to disrupt the proceedings. Some 400 police officers were to be posted around the Tokyo court where the verdict will be read, TBS television reported, though police would not provide details on their plans. Subway lines issued announcements on Thursday urging riders to report any "suspicious objects." The verdict will mark a heart-wrenching milestone for the families of victims who have spent years waiting for justice, though they say the trial's outcome will provide only limited solace. Asahara has the right to appeal. Anti-Aum activists warned on Thursday that the cult which has since changed its name to Aleph remained a potential danger because members still had not rejected Asahara's teachings. "The cult is not reflecting on their crimes," Shoko Egawa, a journalist who has covered Aum since the 1980s, told reporters. "They know nothing about the relation between the crimes and the teachings. I don't think they want to." Egawa and Shizue Takahashi, the widow of a subway worker who died in the attack, also faulted the police for failing to crack down on the cult before the gassing, despite clear evidence that the group was a threat. The subway gassing was Aum's most horrific crime. Five cult members pierced bags of sarin a nerve gas developed by the Nazis on separate trains as they converged in central Tokyo's national government district as a pre-emptive strike against police planning raids on the cult. The deadly fumes killed a dozen people and sent thousands to the hospital. The attack sent the country into a panic as sickened, bleeding passengers stumbled from subway stations around Tokyo. Survivors still suffer from headaches, breathing troubles and dizziness. The cult was ordered in separate court proceedings to pay US$35 million to the victims. |
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