As of the end of March ten people had died and more than 5,000 were injured as a result of the deliberate release of the nerve gas sarin in the Tokyo subway system on March 20.
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The subsequent police investigation of the incident produced strong circumstantial evidence that the gas attack had been the work of Aum Shinrikyo, a millennial religious sect.
The attack occurred shortly after 8 a.m., when the subway system was crowded with rush-hour commuters. Incidents were reported at 16 stations, as passengers collapsed suffering from nausea and breathing difficulties. After a huge emergency and security operation, the subway was cleared and it was confirmed by the authorities that six canisters of sarin had been placed on trains.
Sarin--the chemical name of which was isopropymethylphosphorofluoridate--was one of a group of nerve agents first synthesised by scientists in Nazi Germany. It was an important element of the NATO chemical weapons stockpile in the 1950s and 1960s, and was used in combat to lethal effect by Iraq, both in its war against Iran and in its campaign against the Kurds. After the Gulf War, large stocks of sarin were discovered at Iraq's Muthanna chemical weapons plant.
Recently there had been several cases linking sarin to the Aum Shinrikyo sect based in the town of Kamikuishiki, in Yamanashi prefecture, southern Honshu. On July 2, 1993, more than 100 residents in Tokyo's Koto district had complained of the effects of fumes emanating from buildings owned by the cult. On June 27, 1994, seven people died and 200 were injured by sarin fumes in Matsumoto, in central Japan. The police were unable to locate the source of the gas, but it later transpired that among the injured were three judges who were adjudicating on a land dispute involving Aum Shinrikyo. In July 1994, residents in Kamikuishiki complained of the effects of unidentified fumes. In September there were similar complaints by inhabitants of several towns in Nara prefecture. In December, material identified as a by-product of sarin manufacture was discovered in Kamikuishiki.
This article comes from Keesings Worldwide Online
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