Cult may strike again, Japanese warned
December 11 2002
By Shane Green,
Japan Correspondent,
Tokyo
Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attack
on Tokyo's subways, may be prepared to commit random mass murder to free
its guru from prison, according to a report by Japan's domestic
intelligence agency.
The report claims the action may coincide with the imminent sentencing of
the cult's former leader, Shoko Asahara, who seems certain to face the
death penalty.
As the sentencing nears, "it is presumed in reality that the organisation
(Aum) may engage in random mass murder in connection with such schemes as
the rescue of Asahara," the report says.
The Public Security Investigation Agency, which deals with subversive
groups, produced the report in support of its case that surveillance of the
cult be extended for another three years.
The Aum cult - the successor of which is named Aleph - was responsible for
the 1995 Tokyo poison gas attack that killed 12 and injured thousands. In
1994, a sarin gas attack by the cult in Matsumoto, in central Japan, killed
seven people.
Asahara, guru of the cult, is now before the courts over the attack and
other crimes. His case has been running since 1996, and is drawing to a close.
He seems certain to face the death penalty, which has been handed out to
eight other members of Aum.
The Public Security Investigation Agency said that Aum was still
encouraging murder.
The agency claimed the cult's new leader, Fumihiro Joyu, was basing his
sermons on a book called The Final Speech of the Great Master.
Mr Joyu maintains the gas attacks were acts of charity that helped victims
rid themselves of "evil acts".
The agency report argues that the cult maintains a doctrine of mass murder,
and Asahara still wields power.
http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/10/1039379834095.html
And the Muslims are massing at the gates...
Australia has been accused of being an enemy of Islam in speeches to
mosques in Asia, increasing the risk of terrorist attacks, according to a
leading defence expert.
The director of terrorism studies at the Australian National University,
Clive Williams, said Australia had first been singled out in the sermons
nearly a month ago, according to regional intelligence sources.
http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/09/1039379784146.html
