Katsuya Takahashi: Last Fugitive Of 1995 Tokyo Subway Attack Arrested

Katsuya Takahashi, the last fugitive suspected of involvement in the 1995 Tokyo Subway sarin gas attack has been arrested, following a comic book cafe owner spotting the man in downtown Tokyo.

Takahashi was taken into custody and arrested following fingerprint verification, according to The Huffington Post. The 54-year-old’s capture ends a nationwide manhunt for the thirteen members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, who unleashed sarin nerve gas on five trains in the Tokyo subway in March 1995.

The coordinated attack killed 13 commuters and injured thousands more, according to ABC News. The other 12 members, including cult founder Shoko Asahara, have already been sentenced to death for their crimes. Before Katsuya Takahashi, another cult member, Naoko Kikuchi, was arrested on June 3rd, sparking the manhunt for the 54-year-old fugitive.

Kikuchi reportedly lived with him for five years, from 2001 until 2006. Once he shared that information, investigators were able to track Takahashi down.

The New York Times reports that Naomasa Yoshida, head of criminal investigations at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, stated during a news conference after the arrest that:

“We believe that information led to today’s arrest. We are deeply thankful to the citizens of Tokyo and of Japan for their support and cooperation.”

ABC News reports that Police have said Takahashi was working for a construction company under a false name, and that he was living in a company dormitory south of Tokyo. While he was reported missing the day after Kikuchi was arrested, hundreds of fliers with his photo helped to locate and arrest him on Friday.

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