Aum Shinrikyo
Ex-Aum Shinrikyo cult member indicted on fresh charges
Prosecutors in Japan have indicted Makoto Hirata, a former senior member of the AUM Shinrikyo cult, on fresh charges of involvement in a blast at a Tokyo condominium and the throwing of a firebomb into the group's Tokyo headquarters in 1995. The attac... Read the rest of this entry »
Japanese security agency inspects AUM cult splinter group’s facilities
The Public Security Intelligence Agency in Japan on Friday inspected several properties of Hikari no Wa -- a splinter group of the notorious Aum Shinrikyo cult. Security officials believe the group is still under the influence of cult founder Shoko As... Read the rest of this entry »
Ex-Aum Shinrikyo cultist faces fresh arrest warrant over bombing
Former AUM Shinrikyo cult member Makoto Hirata, 46, arrested for kidnapping, will be served a fresh arrest warrant as early as Jan. 31 for alleged involvement in a 1995 bombing in Tokyo. Meanwhile another former Aum Shinikyo cult member was charged wi... Read the rest of this entry »
Aum Shinikyo cult member charged with kidnapping and confinement
A senior member of Aum Shinrikyo -- the doomsday cult behind the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo subways -- has been charged in a kidnapping case, one of dozens of cult-related crimes in the 1990s. Prosecutors charged Makoto Hirata with "unlawful capt... Read the rest of this entry »
Ex-cultist arrested for harboring Aum Shinrikyo’s Hirata
A former AUM Shinrikyo follower who turned herself in to Tokyo police early Tuesday was arrested later in the day on suspicion of harboring Makoto Hirata -- a former senior member of the cult, who was apprehended on New Year's Day after surrendering t... Read the rest of this entry »
Aum Shinrikyo cult leader Shoko Asahara to be grilled over Hirata slaying role
Japanese investigators are set to question Aum Shinrikyo guru Shoko Asahara over the role Makoto Hirata, a former member of the cult who turned himself in to Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Dec. 31 after 17 years on the run, played in the abduction and d... Read the rest of this entry »
Imprisoned Ex-Aum Shinrikyo cult members questioned over Hirata’s role in 1995 case
Tokyo police have questioned a former AUM Shinrikyo cult member as part of their investigation into a case involving another former leading member who turned himself in to police over the weekend after almost 17 years on the run. Other convicted Aum ... Read the rest of this entry »
Police turned away surrendering Aum Shinrikyo cult fugitive
Japanese police have admitted they turned away one of the nation's most wanted fugitives when he tried to surrender on New Year's Eve after nearly 17 years on the run. An officer thought the man was playing a practical joke. Read the rest of this entry »
Former Aum fugitive says cult leader should hang; cult victim says he should not
Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata, who turned himself in to police late Saturday believes guru Shoko Asahara should hang for his crimes. But one of the cult's victims has called on the Japanese government to abandon the looming execution of the gr... Read the rest of this entry »
Former Aum fugitive says cult leader should hang; cult victim says he should not
Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata, who turned himself in to police late Saturday believes guru Shoko Asahara should hang for his crimes. But one of the cult's victims has called on the Japanese government to abandon the looming execution of the gr... Read the rest of this entry »