Kozo Okamoto, Japanese Red Army Terrorist Behind 1972 Lod Airport Massacre, Dies in Beirut

Kozo Okamoto died in his home in the Dahiya district of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, according to reports from Lebanon. Known by the alias "Ahmed the Japanese," Okamoto was part of a three-man squad from the Japanese Red Army, acting on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), that carried out one of the deadliest terror attacks in Israel's history. On May 30, 1972, the group opened fire and threw grenades at civilians in the arrivals lounge of what was then Lod Airport.

Life in Lebanon and Lack of Remorse

Following the massacre, Okamoto was captured by Israeli security forces, while his two accomplices were killed. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 1985 as part of the "Jibril Agreement" prisoner exchange. After his release, he eventually settled in Lebanon, where he was granted political asylum in 2000. Reports indicate that Okamoto remained a supporter of Palestinian terror factions until his death. His funeral in Beirut featured his body draped in the flags of both the PFLP and the Palestinian Authority.

A Survivor's Perspective

In the wake of his death, Pastor José Vega Franqui, a survivor of the 1972 attack, told the Times of Israel that the news "closes a chapter" in a painful story. Despite the lasting trauma of the massacre, which claimed the lives of many pilgrims from Puerto Rico, Franqui stated that he has found the strength to forgive Okamoto. The death of the 78-year-old terrorist marks the end of the lives of all direct participants in the Lod Airport attack, though the legacy of the event remains a significant point of national memory in Israel.