Terror in Japan: Lessons of the Sarin Gas Attacks
Ars Technica » Scientific Method 2013-03-20
Summary:
Today marks the 18th anniversary of the Sarin attack on the Tokyo Subway. On March 20th, 1995, members of Aum Shinrikyo, or Aum, launched five coordinated attacks on several lines of the Tokyo Metro. These attacks killed thirteen people and caused injuries in a little over a thousand individuals. This act of domestic terrorism was the first serious attack to occur in Japan since WWII.
Aum, now known as Aleph, was a controversial Japanese religious group once led by Shoko Asahara. It is now listed as a terrorist organization in many countries. Their core beliefs drew from Christian and Vajrayana Buddhist sources, stating that the apocalypse would occur in 1997 and that they must spread the word of salvation. Materials decimated by group members spoke of anti-salvation and Armageddon conspiracies by the Dutch, the British Royal Family, Jews, and Freemasons.