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

Japanese terrorist Kozo Okamoto, a member of the "Japanese Red Army" trained by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, died today (Thursday) at age 78 in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Okamoto was part of a three-member terror cell that murdered 24 people on May 30, 1972, at Ben Gurion Airport.

The announcement of his death was published by the Popular Front organization, which said that Okamoto died in the Dahieh district, where he lived together with other Japanese individuals linked to the group. A eulogy from the Palestinian terror organization said: "His career was marked by unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, foremost among them the 'Lod Airport Operation.'"

As a reminder, on May 30, 1972, Okamoto arrived at Lod Airport on an "Air France" flight, together with two other Japanese terrorists. Their weapons and grenades were hidden in their suitcases. They took out the weapons, opened fire, and threw grenades at passengers waiting to collect their luggage.

Twenty-four people were killed at the scene, most of them tourists from Puerto Rico who had arrived in Israel on the same flight as the terrorists. In addition, seven wounded victims were evacuated from the scene, some of them in serious condition. Two of the terrorists blew themselves up with a grenade. Okamoto was wounded by security guards' gunfire, captured, and sentenced to life imprisonment.

In 1985, he was released by Israel as part of a prisoner exchange deal. As part of the deal, Israel released 1,150 terrorists in exchange for Hezi Shai, Nissim Salem, and Yosef Grof, three captives who had been seized by the Popular Front. The terrorist had lived in Lebanon ever since. The Japanese government repeatedly demanded that Lebanon extradite him, but Hezbollah blocked the move.