TOKYO -- Thirty years have passed since the 1995 sarin gas attack on the subway in Japan's capital city.
The attack was perpetrated by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, killing 14 people and injuring over 6,000. How did the group carry out such an indiscriminate act of terrorism using chemical weapons? What was the course of events that day?
Nikkei unwinds the incident using court documents and other materials.
On March 20, 1995, at around 8 a.m.,the world's first indiscriminate terrorist attack using chemical weapons occurred.
Five members of Aum Shinrikyo boarded different subway trains packed with morning commuters. They quietly dropped plastic bags containing liquid sarin wrapped in newspaper onto the train car floors.
Just before their trains arrived at specific stations, they pierced the bags with the tips of plastic umbrellas, which they had sharpened in advance. Since the liquid had been made in a rush the day before, it contained impurities and was brownish-red -- rather than clear and colorless.
The liquid sarin leaked out of the torn packages and evaporated, spreading throughout the area. The perpetrators exited their trains and fled.
Explore the full infographic story with photos, sounds, data and timelines.