---

Kyodo News Service, Japan
June 24, 2005
home.kyodo.co.jp

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 11510 • Posted: Saturday June 25, 2005  

---

TOKYO, June 24–(Kyodo) _ The First Tokyo Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution has concluded that prosecutors were wrong not to indict a former Aum Shinrikyo cult member over his alleged involvement in a 1995 explosion at a religious scholar’s home, the committee said Friday.

Koichi Ishikawa, 36, was arrested over his alleged part with other senior AUM members in an explosion at the condominium of Hiromi Shimada, a religious scholar believed to be sympathetic to AUM, on March 19, 1995. A time bomb placed at the entrance of his condominium unit exploded but no one was injured.

Police believe that AUM founder Shoko Asahara ordered the explosion to help confuse police investigators who were looking into other cases they believed AUM was involved in.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office decided last September not to indict Ishikawa due to a lack of evidence, leading Shimada to file a petition to the inquest committee.

The committee expressed doubts over Ishikawa’s statement in which he claimed he “did not hear anything about his assignment other than being ordered to carry out the role of making fliers,” in view of the fact he was with other AUM members when the conspiracy for the explosion was discussed.

The committee said Ishikawa, by being present at the gathering for the conspiracy, should be judged as having taken part in the conspiracy.

Given the committee’s conclusion, prosecutors will reexamine whether to indict Ishikawa.

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Aum Shinrikyo Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Aum Shinrikyo Read Another Article Previous entry: Grand jury indicts 7 in Tangipahoa cult case Next entry: The guru, his wife and the followers RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Aum Shinrikyo Most Popular Today Jury finds FLDS member Merril Leroy Jessop guilty

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.