Aum Shinrikyo's criminal activities began in the late 1980s and culminated in the 1995 nerve-gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system. The group was founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara, the babbling, half-blind guru whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto.
Initially starting life as a yoga training school, Aum Shinrikyo was certified as a religious organization in 1989 but eventually began manufacturing weapons and illegal narcotics under the order of Asahara, who touted himself as the "ultimate savior."
Aum was known to attract graduates from elite institutions; some of them were certified doctors, chemists and scientists. While the guru's apocalyptic prophecies included predictions of a nuclear war, his disciples say the teachings were also charismatic.