In the mid-1990s, the remote Banjawarn Station in Western Australia became the unlikely site of a covert and chilling connection to one of the most notorious cults in modern history – Aum Shinrikyo. This Japanese doomsday cult, responsible for the deadly 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attacks, had set up a secret chemical weapons testing facility on the station’s vast, isolated property. Their goal was to develop nerve agents and other chemical weapons in preparation for an apocalyptic scenario. The discovery of their operations at Banjawarn Station revealed the international reach and dangerous ambitions of the cult, making it a significant chapter in Australia’s involvement with global terrorism.

Join Holly & Matthew as they explore the unsettling story of Banjawarn Station and its connection to Aum Shinrikyo, uncovering how this quiet Australian property became the site of an international weapons conspiracy.

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Sources cited:

• Broad, William J. 1997. "Seismic Mystery in Australia." The New York Times, January 21. Accessed August 4, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/21/science/seismic-mystery-in-australia- quake-meteor-or-nuclear-blast.html.

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