Kozo Okamoto Dies at 78, Closing Chapter on 1972 Lod Airport Massacre
Updated
Updated · Ynetnews · Jul 24
Kozo Okamoto Dies at 78, Closing Chapter on 1972 Lod Airport Massacre
3 articles · Updated · Ynetnews · Jul 24
Summary
78-year-old Kozo Okamoto died in Beirut, ending the last surviving assailant’s link to the 1972 Lod Airport attack that killed 24 people and wounded 71.
Survivors said his death brought relief and a measure of closure, though not revenge, after decades of living with memories of the shooting and the fear stirred by his 1985 release.
Abraham Katzir, whose father Aharon Katzir was killed, recalled seeing gunfire shatter the terminal glass and later learning Okamoto had been captured after fleeing toward the baggage area.
Eti Ringel, who was 4 when her mother was murdered, said the news revived vivid memories of blood, smoke and panic, but also ended years of unease over Okamoto living freely in Lebanon.
Okamoto, a Japanese Red Army member, was wounded and captured in the attack, sentenced to life in Israel, then freed in the Jibril prisoner exchange before settling in Lebanon.