GIFU (TR) – Gifu Prefectural Police have arrested a 70-year-old former member of cult Aum Shinrikyo for allegedly slashing his son with a samurai sword in Takayama City on Friday, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Dec. 30).
At around 9:50 p.m., Kiyohide Nakata, a former upper-level member of the cult, Nakata wielded the 50-centimeter-long sword in slashing his son, 40, in four locations of his right thigh and left hand at a shop that also serves as a residence.
The incident emerged after the wife of the suspect alerted police. The victim was transported to a hospital with injuries considered minor.
Nakata, who has been accused of attempted murder, admits to assaulting his son, but denies attempting to kill him. He said they got into a dispute while drinking. “I injured him, but I did not intend to kill him,” the suspect told the Takayama Police Station.
Nakata currently manages the shop. While a member of Aum Shinrikyo, he served as a security officer. In 1995, the cult carried out a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
