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Police Raid Apartments of Japanese Cult in Moscow and St. Petersburg

Andrei Makhonin / Vedomosti

Police are raiding the apartments of alleged members of the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the TASS news agency reported Tuesday, citing unidentified sources in law enforcement.

The police will raid 20 apartments in total, according to the source. Among the 20 are the homes of Russian citizens recently detained in Montenegro.

On March 26, 43 Russian nationals suspected of having links to Aum Shinrikyo were arrested in Montenegro and later expelled from the country.

Found in 1987, Aum Shinrikyo is a terrorist organization banned in Russia. In March 1995, Aum Shinrikyo members carried out a sarin attack in the Tokyo metro. Thirteen people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured as a result of the attack.

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