Japan ex-cult member's relief after arrest
Source: Agencies |
June 5, 2012, Tuesday
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A WOMAN wanted for 17 years for allegedly helping to produce the deadly nerve gas used in a 1995 attack on Tokyo subways said she feels relief at her arrest because she doesn't have to hide her identity anymore, police said yesterday.
Naoko Kikuchi is a former member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult that released the nerve gas sarin in Tokyo's subways in 1995, killing 13 people and injuring more than 6,000. The cult had amassed an arsenal of chemical, biological and conventional weapons in anticipation of an apocalyptic clash with the government.
Police on Sunday arrested Kikuchi, 40, after she was spotted in Sagamihara city, 30 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, where she had been living since 2010.
She was one of two remaining cult members wanted as murder suspects in the case.
Kikuchi has admitted to helping in the sarin production, but told investigators that she didn't know at that time what the substance was, a Tokyo police spokesman said.
She also admitted to using an alias and moving every few years to avoid detection. "I had to hide my identity and used an alias all these years while I was on the run. Now I'm arrested and I don't have to do that anymore. I feel relieved," she said.
A man claiming to have lived with Kikuchi for the past six years turned himself in yesterday. Hiroto Takahashi, 41, said the couple moved to an apartment in Sagamihara in 2010.
Police searched the apartment for clues about Kikuchi's 17-year hideout and that may lead to the one remaining fugitive, Katsuya Takahashi, 54, who is not related to Kikuchi's partner. Nearly 200 members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult have been convicted in the gas attack and other crimes. Thirteen, including cult guru Shoko Asahara, are on death row.
Naoko Kikuchi is a former member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult that released the nerve gas sarin in Tokyo's subways in 1995, killing 13 people and injuring more than 6,000. The cult had amassed an arsenal of chemical, biological and conventional weapons in anticipation of an apocalyptic clash with the government.
Police on Sunday arrested Kikuchi, 40, after she was spotted in Sagamihara city, 30 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, where she had been living since 2010.
She was one of two remaining cult members wanted as murder suspects in the case.
Kikuchi has admitted to helping in the sarin production, but told investigators that she didn't know at that time what the substance was, a Tokyo police spokesman said.
She also admitted to using an alias and moving every few years to avoid detection. "I had to hide my identity and used an alias all these years while I was on the run. Now I'm arrested and I don't have to do that anymore. I feel relieved," she said.
A man claiming to have lived with Kikuchi for the past six years turned himself in yesterday. Hiroto Takahashi, 41, said the couple moved to an apartment in Sagamihara in 2010.
Police searched the apartment for clues about Kikuchi's 17-year hideout and that may lead to the one remaining fugitive, Katsuya Takahashi, 54, who is not related to Kikuchi's partner. Nearly 200 members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult have been convicted in the gas attack and other crimes. Thirteen, including cult guru Shoko Asahara, are on death row.
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