Tokyo announced on Thursday that the last six executions of the members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult were carried out this week. Seven people were put to death this earlier this month. The BBC noted that the leader of the terror attack, Shoko Asahara and other members were all hanged. The remaining cult members were waiting to get their appeals heard. Now, all the cult terror attackers are dead.

The Aum Shinrikyo cult sarin attacks

The group was tried for the March 1995 sarin poison attack which killed 13 people and injured nearly six thousand. They were also suspects in "several other murders and an earlier sarin gas attack in 1994 which killed eight and left 600 injured," BBC noted.

The 1995 attack was done in a busy subway in Tokyo. It was the biggest terror incident on Japanese soil. Japanese NHK news outlet reported that the cult members released the gas in railway carriages.

Speaking at a press conference, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said, "The pain and anguish of the people who were killed and their families as well as of the survivors left with disabilities, was unimaginable." 23 years after the attack, the painful memories still remain for the families of the sarin victims.

About the Shinrikyo cult

The cult was led by Shoko Asahara and was founded in 1984. He was legally blind, the Daily Best wrote, which added to his aura. Highly intelligent, but twisted, he believed that the apocalyptic times were upon us.

He also believed he was Christ and the successor to Buddha. The cult became a mix of apocalyptic Christian beliefs mixed with Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. They believed that they should kill everyone who did not believe as they did.

Many people believe the cult ended with the arrest of the sarin attackers, but they also operated under the names of Aleph and Hikari no Wa.

They have a worldwide following, including people in the USA. Apart from wanting to become the King of Japan, Asahara got enough of a following in the USA to plot an attack on New York city from their US offices. Overall, he wanted to rule the world. The Daily Beast noted that the cult is "anti-American" and "anti-Semitic."

Is the cult dead and can Japan now find closure?

Sky News reported that one victim said after the executions, that the "world had become slightly brighter." The executions may have put an end to the terror attackers, but their cult may still be in the shadows, particularly in the USA.

The cult is registered as a terrorist organization in the US, the EU, and Russia. In Japan, it is recognized as a "dangerous" religion and they are watched.

In their book, "The Cult at the End of the World: The Terrifying Story of the Aum Doomsday Cult, from the Subways of Tokyo to the Nuclear Arsenals of Russia," authors David E. Kaplan and Andrew Marshall, claimed their practices remain secret. Just two years ago, Russia raided the cult and confiscated various items and literature. In 2017, Japan raided some of their offices for controversial recruitment practices.
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