Apocalypse cult guru sentenced to hang for Tokyo nerve gas attacks

FORMER Doomsday cult guru Shoko Asahara was sentenced to death today for masterminding the deadly 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway and a string of other attacks that killed 27 people.

Asahara, founder of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, was also convicted of ordering his followers to produce and stockpile arsenals of conventional and chemical weapons, including the sarin gas used in the subway attack.

Asahara, 48, stood in silence as the verdict guilty on all 13 counts and sentencing was read.

Asahara was the twelfth person sentenced to hang for the attacks. The ruling was the climax of an eight-year-long trial. His attorneys had argued that Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto had lost control of his flock by the time of the March 20, 1995, subway attack that killed 12 and sickened thousands.

But former followers testified in court that Asahara planned and ordered their murderous deeds.

Asahara was also convicted of masterminding a sarin gas attack in June 1994 in the central Japan city of Matsumoto, the murder of anti-Aum lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto and his family, and the killings of wayward followers and people helping members leave the cult.

At its height, Aum claimed 10,000 followers in Japan and 30,000 in Russia.

The guru used a mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and yoga to entice his devotees, who engaged in bizarre rituals such as drinking his blood and wearing electrical caps that they believed kept their brain waves in tune with their leader.

The families of victims had hoped for the death sentence, but some said they were saddened that Asahara never acknowledged his responsibility for the crimes or apologised to the families.

"This death sentence is not enough," said Yoko Ito, whose daughter was killed in the Matsumoto gas attack. "I was hoping that he would say something, but it's very disappointing that the verdict ended in silence."

The verdict came after several hours of proceedings, in which Judge Shoji Ogawa detailed the 13 counts against him and dismissed the former guru's claims of innocence.

"The defendant plotted to spread sarin nerve gas across Tokyo, destroy the capital and build hid own kingdom, and he ordered the construction of a sarin production plant", Ogawa said.

There are no jury trials in Japan, and the four-judge panel led by Ogawa delivered the verdict and sentence. Security was tight at Tokyo District Court to guard against disruptions by Asahara followers, and media reported that a decoy was used to on the way to the court the thwart ant attempt to free the ex-guru. Some 4,600 people turned out for a seat in the 38 courtroom seats available to the public and spectators were chosen by lottery.

"I can't think of any other sentence but death for Asahara," said Yasutomo Kusakai, a 22-year-old college student who tried unsuccessfully to get a courtroom seat.

"Many people were killed, and he's supposed to be the mastermind of the crimes that affected the society in a big way."

Asahara did not speak during the session, though he grinned as he was brought into the courtroom, and made bizarre, comic faces during the proceedings.

Families of victims have spent years waiting for justice, though they said the trial's outcome would provide only limited solace.

Some have faulted the police for failing to crack down on the cult before the gassing, despite clear evidence that the group was a threat.