World News

Sword collectors now under arrest

Five more members of a sword collectors group were arrested Dec. 21 in connection with a bomb threat at a deputy foreign minister's house in September and three shootings at an association of pro-Pyongyang residents in Niigata in July and other facilities.

The sword group's leader, Ichiro Murakami, 54, and five other members were arrested Dec. 19 and indicted over three shooting incidents at Aum Shinrikyo facilities in Tokyo and Osaka, and a teachers union office in Hiroshima.

Murakami has admitted that he led the three shootings.

All five arrested Dec. 21 - including a dentist, sculptor and priest - are members of Token Tomo-no-kai, a group that collects and deals in Japanese swords.

Sources said police were able to find the five who were taken into custody Dec. 21 based on confessions of those arrested Dec. 19.

Police are investigating what roles they may have played in the attacks.

The Metropolitan Police Department believes the group was involved in at least six of 23 similar attacks, the sources said.

After each of the incidents, a man telephoned the Asahi Shimbun newspaper to claim responsibility, saying he represented a rightist group that has also claimed responsibility for attacks and threats against organizations in Japan connected with North Korea.(Kyodo)

Shukan ST: Jan. 2・9, 2004

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