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Kozo Okamoto, Japanese terrorist behind 1972 Ben Gurion Airport massacre, dies in Bei
Ynetnews • • world
Key Points:
- Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese terrorist involved in the 1972 Ben Gurion Airport massacre that killed 24 people, has died in Beirut at age 78, as announced by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
- Okamoto was the sole survivor of the attack carried out by the Japanese Red Army on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; he was captured, sentenced to life, and released in a 1985 prisoner exchange.
- After his release, Okamoto settled in Lebanon, where he lived mostly out of the public eye, despite repeated Japanese demands for his extradition, which Lebanon refused.
- In May 2022, Okamoto made a rare public appearance at a Beirut ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the massacre, showing his continued affiliation with Palestinian militant groups.
