Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese militant tied to the 1972 attack at Tel Aviv’s airport, has died in Beirut. His death was reported on Thursday, more than five decades after the assault that made his name internationally known.
Okamoto was identified for years with the deadly airport attack in Tel Aviv, an episode that remained one of the most notorious militant operations of its time. News of his death brings renewed attention to that event and to the long shadow it cast over regional and international security history.
According to the report, Okamoto died in the Lebanese capital, where a Palestinian group that had been protecting him announced his death. The brief account did not provide further detail about the circumstances, but it underscored his long association with Palestinian factions after the attack.
His death closes a chapter in the story of a figure whose role in the 1972 Tel Aviv airport attack kept him in the public record for decades. Even after more than 50 years, the case continues to be remembered because of the scale of the violence and its place in the history of Middle East-related militancy.
