A former police officer under arrest in connection with the 1995 shooting of the chief of the National Police Agency was asked by a senior female Aum Shinrikyo member to survey the shooting site five days before the attack, according to investigation sources.
Police believe the Aum member was a close aide to cult founder Shoko Asahara, the sources said. The 43-year-old woman has been convicted for playing a role in one of the crimes committed by the cult.
The Metropolitan Police Department is trying to determine whether Asahara, who is contesting a death sentence handed down in February for a series of Aum's crimes, was also behind the March 1995 shooting of the NPA chief