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Tokyo helping Russia to collect info on Aum Shinrikyo cult’s activity — government

Ten people were arrested in St. Petersburg on suspicion of links to Aum Shinrikyo banned cult

TOKYO, April 6. /TASS/. Tokyo is cooperating with Moscow and is gathering information on the activity of Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult in Russia, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday.

"Our diplomats are cooperating with the Russian side and a number of agencies with the goal of collecting information [on activity of the cult]," Suga said, commenting on reports on Tuesday’s arrests of followers of the outlawed cult in Russia.

Ten people were arrested in St. Petersburg on suspicion of links to Aum Shinrikyo and similar raids were also conducted in Moscow. Russia’s Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said a criminal case has been opened into activity of a group that involves "violence against citizens and injury to their health."

The members of the banned cult were responsible for a deadly sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo metro in 1995 that killed 13 people and injured more than 6,300 others.

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