Japanese Red Army militant behind 1972 Tel Aviv attack dies at 78
Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese militant who carried out the deadly 1972 Tel Aviv airport attack, has died in Beirut at age 78. The Palestinian group protecting him confirmed his death after a long illness.
Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese militant who took part in the 1972 attack on Tel Aviv's international airport that killed 26 people, died on Thursday in Beirut, according to the Palestinian group that had been sheltering him. He was 78.
Attack on Tel Aviv Airport
On May 30, 1972, Okamoto and two other members of the Japanese Red Army guerrilla group arrived at Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion Airport) on a flight from Europe. They retrieved checked baggage containing rifles and grenades, then opened fire in the arrival hall, killing 26 people and wounding dozens more. The attack was carried out in coordination with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a faction within the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Imprisonment and Later Life
Okamoto was captured by Israeli authorities and served 12 years in prison. After his release, he was deported and eventually settled in Lebanon, where he lived under the protection of the PFLP. He adopted the name Ahmad al-Yabani, meaning “Ahmad the Japanese,” and made only rare public appearances. The PFLP stated that Okamoto had been ill for a long time before his death.
Legacy and Reaction
The PFLP released a statement praising Okamoto's “immense sacrifices spanning for decades on the battlefields of struggle in support of the Palestinian cause.” It said he “never compromised nor faltered but remained steadfast to his principles.” Okamoto’s death marks the end of a chapter for one of the most notorious international militants linked to the Palestinian movement. The Japanese Red Army, once a feared group that carried out attacks around the world, has been largely defunct since the early 2000s.
Okamoto’s role in the airport attack has been a subject of study for those examining the nexus of far-left militancy and Palestinian armed struggle. His death in Beirut, a city that has long been a haven for exiles and militants, underscores the enduring complexity of Middle Eastern geopolitics and the lingering echoes of the region’s conflicts.
