Kozo Okamoto, Surviving Perpetrator of 1972 Lod Airport Massacre, Dies in Beirut

Kozo Okamoto, a Japanese member of the Japanese Red Army and the only surviving attacker of the deadly 1972 Lod Airport massacre, has died in Beirut. The attack, which took place on May 30, 1972, at Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion Airport) near Tel Aviv, resulted in 24 deaths and 78 injuries. Okamoto led the terrorist cell that carried out the assault.

On the day of the attack, three terrorists boarded Air France Flight 132 from Paris to Tel Aviv. Upon landing around 10 p.m., they gathered near the baggage conveyor belt, retrieved assault rifles and grenades from their luggage, and opened fire indiscriminately on the crowded passenger hall. They also threw grenades between magazine reloads, causing further casualties.

Okamoto was captured, tried by a military court in Israel, and sentenced to three life terms. However, he was released after 13 years as part of a prisoner exchange deal. In a 2003 interview with the Japan Times in Beirut, where he lived quietly with Japanese supporters, Okamoto expressed a desire to return to Japan, where he remained wanted. He stated he expected to be killed during the attack or sentenced to death if he survived. When asked about regret for killing innocent people, he said he had no choice but to shoot for the armed struggle and could only pray for the victims.

Okamoto’s death marks the end of a significant chapter in the history of international terrorism involving Japan and Israel, reflecting the complex legacy of the 1972 Lod Airport attack.