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Top/Society/Issues/Terrorism/Terrorist Organizations/Aum Supreme Truth |
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Aum Supreme Truth : |
| From the U.S. Department of State:
Aum Supreme Truth (Aum)
a.k.a. Aum Shinrikyo, Aleph
Description
A cult established in 1987 by Shoko Asahara, the Aum aimed to take over Japan, then the world. Approved as a religious entity in 1989 under Japanese law, the group ran candidates in a Japanese parliamentary election in 1990. Over time the cult began to emphasize the imminence of the end of the world and stated that the United States would initiate Armageddon by starting World War III with Japan. The Japanese Government revoked its recognition of the Aum as a religious organization in October 1995, but in 1997 a government panel decided not to invoke the Anti-Subversive Law against the group, which would have outlawed the cult. In 2000, Fumihiro Joyu took control of the Aum following his three-year jail sentence for perjury. Joyu was previously the group's spokesman and Russia Branch leader. Under Joyu's leadership the Aum changed its name to Aleph and claims to have rejected the violent and apocalyptic teachings of its founder.
Activities
On 20 March 1995, Aum members simultaneously released the chemical nerve agent sarin on several Tokyo subway trains, killing 12 persons and injuring up to 6,000. (Recent studies put the number of persons who suffered actual physical injuries closer to 1,300, with the rest suffering from some form of psychological trauma.) The group was responsible for other mysterious chemical accidents in Japan in 1994. Its efforts to conduct attacks using biological agents have been unsuccessful. Japanese police arrested Asahara in May 1995, and he remained on trial, facing 17 counts of murder at the end of 2000. Since 1997 the cult continued to recruit new members, engage in commercial enterprise, and acquire property, although the cult scaled back these activities significantly in 2000 in response to public outcry. The cult maintains an Internet homepage.
Strength
The Aum's current membership is estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 persons. At the time of the Tokyo subway attack, the group claimed to have 9,000 members in Japan and up to 40,000 worldwide.
Location/Area of Operation
The Aum's principal membership is located only in Japan, but a residual branch comprising an unknown number of followers has surfaced in Russia.
External Aid
None. |
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7 web sites matced for Aum Supreme Truth |
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FAS: Aum Supreme Truth (Aum)
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Description, activities, strength, area of operation and external aid. Links to additional resources. From the Federation of American Scientists. USA.
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CDC: Aum Shinrikyo: Once and Future Threat?
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The group's sarin gas attacks and unsuccessful attempts to release botulin toxin and anthrax spores, funding sources, and background.
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Aum Sect/Shoko Asahara
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Database of news article on Aum and its founder, including historical background, criminal prosecutions, claims against Aum, government action, public reaction to Aum, and protests against the cult.
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Aum Shinrikyo/Aleph in the News
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Collection of articles and links in chronological order on Aum and its newly recreated form, from Cults on Campus, a cult watchdog group.
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Japan Times - Chronology of Aum Developments
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Gives a 20 year synopsis of events of the Aum Shinri Kyo, up to the death sentence handed down to its leader.
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BBC News - Profile: Shoko Asahara
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Profile of Shoko Asahara, who led Japan's Aum Shinrikyo cult which carried out the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo.
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ICT: Aum Shinrikyo
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Articles, links, updates and history of attacks. From The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Israel.
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