TOKYO - Today marks 30 years since the Tokyo subway sarin attack carried out by Aum Shinrikyo. Newly discovered photographs believed to be among the earliest taken after Chizuo Matsumoto, also known as Shoko Asahara, was found in a concealed space have come to light.
One image shows Matsumoto lying face down, wearing a headgear device with cables attached. His bangs hang over his forehead as he appears to be facing investigators dressed in camouflage.
Matsumoto, the leader of Aum Shinrikyo and mastermind behind the sarin attack, was arrested two months after the incident at an Aum facility in Yamanashi Prefecture. He had been hiding in a cramped secret room above the second floor ceiling, where police broke through a wall to find him. The newly surfaced photos appear to have been taken shortly after his discovery.
In another image, Matsumoto is seen descending a staircase under the supervision of investigators. In the background, a row of shoes, believed to belong to cult members who lived at the facility, can be seen.
According to sources, as Matsumoto was being brought down from the hidden space using a stepladder, an investigator asked, "Can you see?" to which he responded, "I'm fine. I can see a little."
However, other reports suggest that he appeared to be completely blind immediately after his arrest, leaving questions about the extent of his vision unanswered.
Source: FNN
