Aum Shinrikyo¡¯s criminal activities began in the late 1980s and culminated in the 1995 nerve-gas attacks on Tokyo¡¯s subway system. The group was founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara, the babbling, half-blind guru whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto.
Initially starting life as a yoga training school, Aum Shinrikyo was certified as a religious organization in 1989 but eventually began manufacturing weapons and illegal narcotics under the order of Asahara, who touted himself as the ¡°ultimate savior.¡±
Aum was known to attract graduates from elite institutions; some of them were certified doctors, chemists and scientists. While the guru¡¯s apocalyptic prophecies included predictions of a nuclear war, his disciples say the teachings were also charismatic.
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