Japanese Terrorist Behind 1972 Lod Airport Massacre Dies in Beirut at 78

Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese terrorist responsible for the deadly 1972 massacre at Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion Airport), passed away at age 78 in Beirut's Dahiya district, a Hezbollah stronghold. Okamoto was the sole surviving member of the Japanese Red Army cell that carried out the attack on May 30, 1972, which killed 24 people and injured over 70 others. The attack shocked Israel and the world, involving indiscriminate gunfire and grenades targeting hundreds of passengers and workers in the arrivals hall.

During the assault, two of Okamoto's accomplices were killed, while he was wounded, captured by Israeli security forces, and sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court. However, he was released after 13 years in 1985 as part of the Jibril Agreement, in which Israel freed over a thousand security prisoners in exchange for the return of three Israeli soldiers held in Lebanon.

Following his release, Okamoto found refuge in Lebanon, where he lived under the protection of terrorist organizations. Despite persistent requests from the Japanese government for his extradition, Lebanese authorities consistently refused. Okamoto maintained a low profile in Lebanon, rarely appearing in public except for a 2022 memorial ceremony in Beirut marking the 50th anniversary of the Lod massacre, where he was seen supported by his escorts and wrapped in Palestinian symbols.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine officially announced his death on Tisha B'Av, closing the chapter on one of the most notorious figures linked to terrorism against Israel in the 1970s.