Aging Japanese militant in Beirut marks 1972 Israel attack

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — An aging Japanese militant who spent more than a decade in an Israeli prison for his part in a deadly attack on the airport outside Tel Aviv showed up in Beirut at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack. Seventy-four-year-old Kozo Okamoto was on hand Monday. He served 12 years in an Israeli lockup for the May 30, 1972 assault. It was thought to have been carried out by members of the Japanese Red Army guerrilla group and 26 people were killed, including Christian pilgrims. Okamoto was freed in 1985 in a prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinian guerrillas. He has since gained political asylum in Lebanon.