Kozo Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army who took part in the 1972 attack at Lod Airport in Israel, has died in Beirut. His death was announced by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to reports.
Okamoto was known as the only surviving attacker from the cell involved in the massacre at Lod Airport on May 30, 1972. The airport is now known as Ben Gurion International Airport, and the assault remains one of the most notorious attacks linked to the period.
His name stayed associated with the Japanese Red Army and its role in international militant activity during the 1970s. News of his death has renewed attention on the long-lasting legacy of the Lod Airport massacre and the groups connected to it.
While only limited details were immediately available about the circumstances of his death in Beirut, the announcement closes a chapter tied to a major episode in the history of Middle East-linked terrorism and transnational militancy.
