Japanese militant Kozo Okamoto who took part in 1972 Tel Aviv attack dies in Lebanon | The National

Kozo Okamoto attends a ceremony in 2022 organised by Palestinians living in Lebanon to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack on Lod Airport in Israel. EPAInfoPopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praised his support for the Palestinian cause The NationalJuly 24, 2026

Kozo Okamoto, a Japanese militant who participated in the deadly 1972 Lod Airport attack in Tel Aviv, has died in Beirut aged 78.

The attack, carried out on behalf of the PFLP, killed 26 people and injured 76 others at what is now Ben Gurion Airport.

Okamoto served 13 years in Israeli prison before being freed in a 1985 prisoner exchange, later receiving asylum in Lebanon after converting to Islam.

The Japanese Red Army, the communist guerrilla group Okamoto belonged to, was responsible for several high-profile attacks, including airline hijackings and a US consulate takeover.