In pictures: Asahara's day of judgment

1 of 8 Thousands of people queued up to try and get a seat in court

2 of 8 Asahara's arrival for the verdict marked the beginning of the end of an eight-year-long trial

3 of 8 Shoko Asahara sat passively and silent as the verdict was read out

4 of 8 He was arrested in 1995 after the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway

5 of 8 The attack killed 12 people, injured thousands more, and shocked Japan to its core

6 of 8 Asahara's defence lawyers are expected to appeal

7 of 8 For the cult's victims, the verdict on Asahara is the end of a long wait

8 of 8 "I visited my husband's grave this morning and I came to hear the ruling with his spirit," said this wife of an attack victim