Kozo Okamoto, Japanese Militant Who Took Part in a 1972 Tel Aviv Airport Attack, Dies in Beirut
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said he died at 78, years after Israel released him in a prisoner exchange.
- Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese militant involved in the 1972 Ben Gurion Airport massacre, died Thursday in Beirut at age 78. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced his death in the city's Hezbollah-controlled Dahiyeh district.
- On May 30, 1972, Okamoto arrived at Lod Airport—now Ben Gurion Airport—with two Japanese Red Army members, opening fire with Kalashnikov rifles and grenades. The attack killed 24 people and wounded 71 others on behalf of the Popular Front.
- Following his capture, Okamoto received a life sentence but was released by Israel in 1985 after 13 years as part of the Jibril prisoner exchange. He later gained political asylum in Lebanon, where he lived until his death, despite Japan's repeated extradition demands.
- While regarded as a terrorist in Japan, Okamoto is considered a hero by many in Lebanon for championing the Palestinian cause. During his trial, he described himself as "an Arab resistance fighter."
- The Popular Front stated the 1972 attack served as retaliation for a 1968 Israeli commando raid on Beirut's international airport. Okamoto remained a prominent figure, making a rare public appearance in 2022 to mark the massacre's 50th anniversary.
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Kozo Okamoto, one of the perpetrators of the 1972 attack at Lod Airport near Tel Aviv that killed 26 people, died in Beirut at the age of 78. A member of the Japanese Red Army, Okamoto had lived in Lebanon after being released in a prisoner exchange in 1985.
Japanese Red Army terrorist behind deadly 1972 attack on Israeli airport dies at 78
Japanese Red Army terrorist behind deadly 1972 attack on Israeli airport dies at 78. Kozo Okamoto was sentenced to life in prison for attack that killed 26 people, but was freed 13 years later in a prisoner deal and moved to Lebanon, remaining there until his death The post Japanese Red Army terrorist behind deadly 1972 attack on Israeli airport dies at 78 appeared first on Jerusalem World News.
Kozo Okamoto, Japanese terrorist who took part in a 1972 Tel Aviv airport attack, dies in Beirut
Okamoto was sentenced to life in prison but freed in 1985 in a prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinian terrorists. By The Associated Press Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese terrorist who took part in a deadly attack on Tel Aviv’s airport more than five decades ago, died Thursday in Beirut, the Palestinian terror group that had been protecting him said. He was 78. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a faction that is the second-l…
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