2.1 1995 Tokyo Subway Attacks

WHO? Shoko Asahara, leader of a quasi-religious cult called Aum Shinrikyo.

WHAT? Sought to initiate apocalypse by releasing deadly Sarin gas within the confines of the Tokyo subway and killing thousands.

WHEN? The attacks were timed during rush hour on the morning of March 20th, 1995.

WHERE? The government district of Tokyo, Japan.

WHY? Asahara directed the attacks so he could eventually emerge as emperor of the world.

The 1995 Tokyo Subway Attacks may be rightfully considered the start of Homeland Security. It was the first time a weapon of mass destruction was employed by a non-state actor. Prior to this incident, catastrophic destruction wrested in the hands of nature and nations. Only the disasters of nature and warfare of nations could kill and damage on a catastrophic scale. Warfare itself evolved to become increasingly more destructive over time. But even with the development of chemical weapons in World War I, a form of WMD, the means of destruction remained in the hands of nations with the resources needed to create them. All this changed on the morning of March 20, 1995. On that morning, five members of a quasi-religious cult, Aum Shinrikyo, entered the Tokyo subway system and boarded separate trains bound for the city center, the seat of Japanese government. The cult members were indistinct from thousands of other commuters, except the umbrellas they carried had sharpened tips. They also carried two concealed plastic bags filled with liquid Sarin. Sarin is an odorless, colorless liquid that quickly vaporizes when exposed to air. It is a nerve agent developed as a pesticide in 1938. Highly potent, a single drop can kill a grown adult. As the trains drew near the city center, the cult members dropped their bags to the floor and punctured them with their umbrellas. As the Sarin started vaporizing, passengers within the packed cars began to fall sick. Victims would later report feeling nauseous and having blurred vision. As the trains pulled into the next station, passengers rushed out of the cars, unwittingly spreading the agent onto the platform. Soon, waiting commuters also began feeling the effects and started pushing towards the station exits. Some collapsed on the platform before they could make it. Seeing the pandemonium, subway agents ordered all trains stopped. But not before thousands were exposed. Hundreds collapsed outside the station entrances. Over 5,000 victims made their way to hospitals, overwhelming staff who were unsure what was happening. Miraculously most victims survived. Unfortunately, twelve did not. Experts believe thousands more could have died. Japanese police traced the attacks back to the cult leader Shoko Asahara. He staged the attacks to bring down the Japanese government and hasten a prophesized global apocalypse from which he would emerge as “emperor”. After a lengthy trial, Asahara was convicted of murder and sentenced to death together with twelve other cult members. Asahara was executed by hanging on July 6, 2018.