Japanese cult members arrested in murder probe
Three members of the cult responsible for a deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo’s subway were arrested today for suspected involvement in an attempt to assassinate Japan’s police chief in the days after the gas attack.
National Police Agency chief Takaji Kunimatsu was seriously wounded in the shooting 10 days after the March 1995 subway gassing.
At the time, Kunimatsu was investigating Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult later held responsible for the nerve gas attack that killed 12 people and injured thousands.
Tokyo police arrested three cult members – Toshiyuki Kosugi, Tetsuya Uemura and Mitsuo Sunaoshi – on allegations of attempted murder, police official Tsutomu Nagai told a news conference.
The three conspired with several other unidentified attackers, who have yet to be arrested, in the attempted assassination, Nagai said.
