Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese terrorist who took part in the 1972 massacre at Ben Gurion Airport in which 24 people were murdered, has died in Beirut at the age of 78.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced his death, saying he died in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, an area controlled by Hezbollah.
On May 30, 1972, Okamoto arrived at Lod Airport, now Ben Gurion Airport, aboard an Air France flight with two other members of the Japanese Red Army.
After landing, the three terrorists removed Kalashnikov rifles from their luggage, opened fire on crowds of passengers and threw grenades.
They murdered 24 people and wounded 71 others.
Two of the terrorists were killed during the attack. Okamoto was wounded, captured and arrested, making him the only member of the squad to survive.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released by Israel in 1985 after 13 years in prison as part of the Jibril prisoner exchange. He later settled in Lebanon.
Blood on the floor at Ben Gurion Airport after the May 30, 1972 terror attack
(Photo: AFP)
Although the three attackers belonged to the communist Japanese Red Army terrorist organization, they carried out the massacre on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, with which the group maintained close ties.
Japan repeatedly demanded that Lebanon extradite Okamoto, but Beirut refused.
Okamoto rarely appeared in public during his years in Lebanon.
In May 2022, he made a rare appearance at a ceremony in Beirut marking the 50th anniversary of the massacre.
The event was held at a cemetery where numerous Palestinian terrorists are buried, near a memorial honoring four Japanese nationals who had been active in Palestinian organizations.
Okamoto arrived wearing a Palestinian flag and a Popular Front slogan around his neck. He appeared frail and was helped toward the memorial by several men.
He did not speak during the 30 minute ceremony, but occasionally smiled and waved.