January 1st, 2012
05:18 AM ET

Doomsday cult member surrenders to police in Japan

A former member of a Japanese doomsday cult wanted for the murder of a notary official surrendered after nearly 17 years on the run, authorities said Sunday.

Makoto Hirata turned himself in late Saturday in Tokyo, according to a metropolitan police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity - as is the practice among Japanese police.

Hirata is described as a former senior member of Aum Shinrikyo, or Cult of the Supreme Truth, the group behind the 1995 sarin gas attack on a Tokyo subway. The attack left more than a dozen people dead and thousands injured.

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soundoff (8 Responses)
  1. Andreas Moser

    Surrender?
    That's a pretty lame doomsday cult.

    January 1, 2012 at 5:28 am | Report abuse |
  2. jokster

    Hey andreas dont take away his thunder if he wants to be a cult member who are you to laugh at him

    January 1, 2012 at 6:11 am | Report abuse |
  3. Mmmmm

    couldn't he just run around in his mom's house in the usual cape wonder bath towel with white underwear wearing zooming skid socks and a cardboard burger king hat saving the universe from doomsday....like everybody else???

    January 1, 2012 at 6:50 am | Report abuse |
  4. rooney

    I wonder why he turned himself in, all of the sudden, after 17 years.

    January 1, 2012 at 8:18 am | Report abuse |
  5. banasy©

    Maybe he's scared because of the doomsday prediction of December 21.

    January 1, 2012 at 1:14 pm | Report abuse |
  6. €:^)

    Ron Paul 2012

    January 1, 2012 at 3:49 pm | Report abuse |
  7. DR.RUFFNUTT

    after 17 years.. he is probally old and the prison is cheaper than a old age home and has health care...

    January 1, 2012 at 4:36 pm | Report abuse |
  8. paris

    omg that crazy

    January 3, 2012 at 9:26 am | Report abuse |
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