In Short History of Nearly Everything author Bill Bryson mentions that there was evidence that Aum Shinrikyo detonated a Nuke on their vast lands in the Australian Desert. Has any evidence come up to refute or bolster this speculation?
IThe claim is based on reports of an explosion in the desert on May 28th, 1993 near a large tract of property that Aum Shinrikyo owned.
The Australian Incorporated Research Institute for Seismology looked into it and concluded "...it was consistent with the impact of an iron meteorite with a radius of between 0.5 and 1.6 m." They went on to say that in the absence of an impact crater, seismological data suggests a 3.6 magnitude earthquake. Source: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2285/did-the-aum-shinrikyo-cult-detonate-an-atom-bomb-in-australia
It's not very plausible that Aum Shinrikyo could have acquired or constructed a nuclear device, and the idea seems based on rumors that the property in the area was purchased for uranium mining.