NCJ Number
189886
Journal
Emerging Infectious Diseases Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: July-August 1999 Pages: 513-516
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The document questions whether the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan still poses a current or future threat.
Abstract
In 1994 in the city of Matsumoto, the Aum Shinrikyo cult released a cloud of sarin, a deadly nerve agent, into a neighborhood. Within a short time, seven people were dead. In 1995, members of the cult entered the Tokyo subway system and released sarin in 5 different locations, injuring 3,800 people and killing 12. Within 48 hours of the attack, police were carrying out raids against the group’s facilities throughout Japan. One of the buildings housed a moderately large-scale chemical weapons production facility with first-rate equipment purchased over-the-counter. Called Satyan 7, it was designed to produce sarin in nearly battlefield quantities: thousands of kilograms a year. Aum has dabbled in many different biological agents: botulin toxin, anthrax, cholera, Q fever, and the Ebola virus. The cult has attempted several apparently unsuccessful acts of biological terrorism in Japan. No injuries were reported in any of these biological events despite the fact the cult was dealing with very toxic materials. The cult’s operations are worldwide, with membership likely 20,000 to 40,000. Their estimated net worth as of 1995 was at $1.5 million. Among the businesses run by the Aum are computer and restaurant establishments. Another source of income is the practice of green mail, a bribery scheme in which merchants pay them to stay away. The cult has manufactured illegal drugs and has a marketing agreement with the Japanese Mafia. Millennial visions and apocalyptic scenarios dominate the group’s doctrine. In the weeks immediately following the subway attack, more than 200 key members of the cult were arrested. Approximately 120 are still in jail, on trial, or have been convicted. Today, Aum Shinrikyo is once again soliciting donations, collecting tithes, selling materials to members, holding seminars, conducting training, and selling computers. Active recruiting is underway. The objective of the Tokyo subway attack was to kill as many policemen as possible. They remain a group that has rejected and confronted society. Unable to achieve their objective legitimately, they determined that a preemptive strike was necessary.