Shoko Asahara: Cult leader responsible for Japan Sarin attack, executed with six others

The deceased belonged to the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which was headed by Asahara.

The cult members were responsible for carrying out a chemical attack using Sarin on the Tokyo underground in 1995, killing 13 people and injuring thousands more.

It is considered as Japan's worst terrorist attack.

Apart from the seven, six others are awaiting their execution.

A Japanese court found Asahara and his cut members guilty of carrying out several murders, including another attack in 1994.

Six people died while over 600 were injured in the aforementioned incident, which too involved Sarin.

Asahara, also known as Chizuo Matsumoto, founded the cult in 1980s.

Aum Shinrikyo means supreme truth. It began as a spiritual group, incorporating Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. Later, it changed style and infused apocalyptic Christian prophesies.

Asahara also declared himself to be Jesus Christ and the first Buddha (Enlightened One) since Gautama Buddha.

It became an official religion in Japan in 1989, enjoying a global following.

However, as time flew, the group morphed into a doomsday cult.

After the 1995 incident, the US along with a few other countries designated the cult as a terrorist organisation.

In Japan, it is viewed as a dangerous religion, subjected to surveillance. 

Image: Screengrab from YouTube