Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

Activities: In March 1995, AUM members simultaneously released the chemical nerve agent
sarin on several Tokyo subway trains, killing 12 people and causing up to 6,000 to seek medical
treatment. Subsequent investigations by the Japanese government revealed the group was
responsible for other mysterious chemical incidents in Japan in 1994, including a sarin gas attack
on a residential neighborhood in Matsumoto that killed seven and hospitalized approximately
500. Japanese police arrested Asahara in May 1995; in February 2004, authorities sentenced him
to death for his role in the 1995 attacks. In September 2006, Asahara lost his final appeal against
the death penalty and the Japanese Supreme Court upheld the decision in October 2007. In 2010
and 2011, several death sentences for other AUM senior members were finalized or affirmed by
Japanese courts. In 2012, the final three AUM fugitives were arrested after 17 years on the run.
Since 1997, the group has split into two factions, both of which have recruited new members,
engaged in commercial enterprises, and acquired property. In July 2001, Russian authorities
arrested a group of Russian AUM followers who had planned to detonate bombs near the
Imperial Palace in Tokyo as part of an operation to free Asahara from jail and smuggle him to
Russia. In August 2012, a Japan Airlines flight to the United States was turned back after
receiving a bomb threat demanding the release of Asahara.
Though AUM has not conducted a terrorist attack since 1995, concerns remain regarding its
continued adherence to the violent teachings of Asahara.
Strength: According to a study by the Japanese government issued in December 2009, AUM
membership in Japan is approximately 1,500 with another 200 in Russia. In 2012, it is believed
that AUM recruited approximately 255 new members. As of December 2012, AUM continues to
maintain at least 29 facilities in 15 prefectures in Japan and may continue to possess a few
facilities in Russia. At the time of the Tokyo subway attack, the group claimed to have as many
as 40,000 members worldwide, including 9,000 in Japan and 30,000 members in Russia.
Location/Area of Operation: AUM’s principal membership is located in Japan; a residual
branch of about 200 followers live in Russia.
Funding and External Aid: Funding primarily comes from member contributions.
BASQUE FATHERLAND AND LIBERTY
aka ETA; Askatasuna; Batasuna; Ekin; Euskal Herritarrok; Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna; Herri
Batasuna; Jarrai-Haika-Segi; K.A.S.; XAKI
Description: Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997, Basque
Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) was founded in 1959 with the aim of establishing an independent
homeland based on Marxist principles encompassing the Spanish Basque provinces of Vizcaya,
Guipuzcoa, and Alava; the autonomous region of Navarra; and the southwestern French
territories of Labourd, Basse-Navarre, and Soule. ETA is listed as a terrorist organization by
Spain and the EU. In 2002, the Spanish Parliament banned the political party Batasuna, ETA’s
political wing, charging its members with providing material support to the terrorist group. The
European Court of Human Rights in June 2009 upheld the ban on Batasuna. In September 2008,
Spanish courts also banned two other Basque independence parties with reported links to
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