Japanese Red Army Member Okamoto Dies in Beirut at 78, July 25

Kozo Okamoto, the sole surviving perpetrator of a 1972 mass shooting at an Israeli airport, died July 23 in Beirut at age 78. The Japanese Red Army member carried out the attack on Lod Airport near Tel Aviv on May 30, 1972, which killed 26 people and wounded 76 others. Okamoto spent 13 years in an Israeli prison before his 1985 release in a prisoner exchange, then lived under Palestinian protection in Lebanon until his death.

The 1972 Lod Airport attack and Okamoto’s role

On May 30, 1972, Okamoto and two other Japanese Red Army members arrived at Lod Airport on a flight from Paris. They retrieved rifles and grenades from their luggage and opened fire in the arrivals hall. The attack killed 26 people, including 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico and eight Israelis, and wounded 76 others. Okamoto’s two accomplices died during the assault. Israeli forces captured and wounded Okamoto. An Israeli military court sentenced him to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty.

Prison, release, and asylum in Lebanon

Okamoto served 13 years in an Israeli prison, spending much of that time in solitary confinement. Israel released him in 1985 as part of a prisoner exchange with Palestinian resistance groups. He then traveled through Libya and Syria before reaching Lebanon. In 1997, Lebanese authorities arrested him and four other Japanese Red Army members on charges related to illegal residence and forged documents. While the other four were deported to Japan in 2000, Lebanon granted Okamoto political asylum in 2000, rejecting Japan’s extradition request.

Life in Lebanon and international wanted status

Okamoto lived in Beirut for more than two decades under the protection of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Palestinians knew him as Ahmad al-Yabani, or Ahmad the Japanese. He remained on Japan’s international wanted list through Interpol as a murder suspect but made few public appearances. In May 2023, he sent a message to a Tokyo gathering stating “I am now like a Palestinian,” though he avoided detailed discussion of the 1972 attack. The PFLP said he died after a prolonged illness due to old age. No specific cause was disclosed.

Legacy and PFLP statement

The PFLP, which organized the 1972 attack alongside the Japanese Red Army, announced Okamoto’s death on July 23 in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The group called him a fighter who made “enormous sacrifices” for the Palestinian cause and said he “never compromised nor faltered.” Among Palestinians and Lebanese who opposed Israel, Okamoto was viewed as a symbol of international solidarity with Palestinian resistance. He will be buried in the Beirut area.

Final Thoughts

Okamoto’s death closes a chapter on one of the deadliest attacks in Israeli history. The 1972 Lod Airport massacre killed 26 people and marked a turning point for the Japanese Red Army’s international notoriety. His five decades in exile, imprisonment, and asylum reflect the complex legacy of Cold War-era militant movements.

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