Ruth Haines
On May 30, 1972, three members of the Japanese Red Army, recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), attacked Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport) near Tel Aviv, killing 26 people and injuring over 70 others. The attack, also known as the Lod Airport massacre, was one of the worst single attacks in Israel in the post-1967 terrorist campaign. The incident shocked Japan, and to commemorate the lives lost, Puerto Rico observes 'Lod Massacre Remembrance Day' every year on May 30.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 30 May 1972 |
| Location | Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport), Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Perpetrators | Three members of the Japanese Red Army |
| Organisation | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) |
| Victims | 26 people, including 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, one Canadian citizen, and eight Israelis |
| Injuries | 80 people |
| Motive | Anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli sentiment, revenge for the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre |
| Impact | Led to increased airport security in Israel, shocked Japan, impacted Puerto Rican society |
| Legacy | Annual "Remembrance Day for the Massacre of Lod" on May 30th, lawsuits against North Korea and the PFLP |
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What You'll Learn
- The Japanese attackers were recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
- The attack killed 26 people and injured 80
- The victims were from Puerto Rico, Canada, and Israel
- The attack shocked Japan and changed how Israel approaches airport security
- The Puerto Rican government established a memorial day to commemorate the victims
The Japanese attackers were recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
The Lod Airport massacre, which took place on May 30, 1972, was a terrorist attack that resulted in 26 deaths and 80 injuries. Three Japanese attackers, members of the Japanese Red Army, carried out the attack. The attackers were recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter, referring to it as Operation Deir Yassin. The PFLP is a Palestinian terrorist group that has carried out numerous attacks on Israel. The Japanese attackers received training in Lebanon from the PFLP and were armed with machine guns and grenades. They arrived at the airport inconspicuously, dressed in business suits, and pulled out their weapons, which were concealed in violin cases. The use of Japanese attackers took the guards by surprise, as airport security was focused on the possibility of a Palestinian attack.
The PFLP's recruitment of Japanese attackers for the Lod Airport massacre was part of a strategy to coordinate revolutionary activities with other leftist groups worldwide. The Japanese Red Army was a terrorist offshoot of the Japanese New Left, and their involvement in the massacre shocked Japan. The attack targeted civilians and sought to create a mood of fear and intimidation to advance extremist political and social agendas. The PFLP's choice to use Japanese operatives may have been influenced by the group's desire to expand the scale of terrorist violence against Jewish and non-Jewish targets globally.
The attack had a significant impact on both Israel and Puerto Rico, which lost many citizens in the attack. Seventeen victims were Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rican government has since commemorated the attack through initiatives such as "Lod Massacre Remembrance Day" and the Puerto Rico Memorial of the Lod Massacre. The attack also had a profound impact on Israel's airport security, leading to the implementation of stricter security measures and a new security system specific to the airport.
The only surviving attacker, Kōzō Okamoto, was captured and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he was released in 1985 as part of a prisoner exchange with the PFLP-GC. The families of the victims from Puerto Rico filed a lawsuit against the government of North Korea, alleging their involvement in the attack as a sponsor of the PFLP. This resulted in a $378 million judgment against North Korea.
The Lod Airport massacre, perpetrated by Japanese attackers recruited by the PFLP, was a tragic event that shocked the world and had lasting consequences for airport security and the fight against terrorism.
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The attack killed 26 people and injured 80
On 30 May 1972, three members of the Japanese Red Army, recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), attacked Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport) near Tel Aviv. The attack killed 26 people and injured 80. The three terrorists, dressed in business suits, disembarked from an Air France flight from Rome and strolled into the baggage claim area. After retrieving what appeared to be violin cases, they pulled out machine guns and opened fire, throwing grenades indiscriminately at the crowds.
The dead comprised 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, one Canadian citizen, and eight Israelis, including Professor Aharon Katzir, an internationally renowned protein biophysicist. Because airport security was focused on the possibility of a Palestinian attack, the use of Japanese attackers took the guards by surprise. The PFLP claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter, referring to it as Operation Deir Yassin, indicating that it was revenge for the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre in which Jewish militias killed about 107 residents of a village.
The attack had a significant impact on both Israel and Puerto Rico. For Israel, it was the first deadly terrorist attack on its only international airport, shaking the foundation of the state's security. The massacre led to serious changes in Israel's airport security system, with the introduction of new security checks and a government resolution specifying the division of responsibilities for the security of state institutions between the Shin Bet and the Israel Police. The airport is now internationally acclaimed for being one of the most secure airports in the world.
For Puerto Rico, the attack was the first time the nation experienced the phenomenon of terrorism, resulting in the loss of many citizens. The Puerto Rican government passed a law declaring May 30th as the annual "Remembrance Day for the Massacre of Lod" to commemorate the victims, honour the survivors, and educate the public against terrorism. A memorial was also installed in 2012, adjacent to the Holocaust Memorial south of the Puerto Rico Capitol.
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The victims were from Puerto Rico, Canada, and Israel
The victims of the Lod Airport Massacre on 30 May 1972 were from Puerto Rico, Canada, and Israel. The attack, carried out by three members of the Japanese Red Army, resulted in the deaths of 26 people and injuries to 80 others. The dead included 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, one Canadian citizen, and eight Israelis.
The Puerto Rican victims were on a religious pilgrimage and were among those waiting for their luggage when the attack began. Carmelo Calderón Molina, a victim from Puerto Rico, was survived by eight children, who, along with the son of another victim, Pablo Tirado Ayala, filed a lawsuit in 2008 against the government of North Korea, alleging its involvement in the attack and seeking compensation. The lawsuit resulted in a $378 million judgement against North Korea, although the North Korean government did not respond to the case.
The Canadian citizen who was killed has not been identified.
Among the eight Israeli victims was Professor Aharon Katzir, an internationally renowned protein biophysicist. Katzir was a prominent figure in Israel, serving as the head of the Israeli National Academy of Sciences and hosting a popular scientific radio show. He was also a candidate in the upcoming Israeli presidential election at the time of his death. His brother, Ephraim Katzir, was elected President of Israel the following year.
The impact of the massacre was significant for all three countries. For Puerto Rico, it was the first encounter with terrorism, leaving a profound impact on the nation and its society. In 2006, the Puerto Rican government passed a law designating May 30 as "Lod Massacre Remembrance Day" to honour the victims and survivors and educate the public about the dangers of terrorism. Israel also experienced a turning point in its airport security approach following the attack, implementing new security systems and methods to enhance safety.
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The attack shocked Japan and changed how Israel approaches airport security
On 30 May 1972, three members of the Japanese Red Army, recruited and trained in Lebanon by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), carried out a terrorist attack at Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport) near Tel Aviv. The attack killed 26 people and injured 80 others. The dead included 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, one Canadian citizen, and eight Israelis, including Professor Aharon Katzir, a prominent protein biophysicist and the brother of Israel's future president. The attack, which involved indiscriminate firing and grenade attacks on passengers in the baggage claim area, shocked both Israel and Japan.
The Japanese identity of the attackers took the airport security guards by surprise, as their focus had been on the possibility of a Palestinian attack. Two of the attackers were killed, while the third, Kōzō Okamoto, was captured after being wounded. The Japanese public initially reacted with disbelief to reports that the perpetrators were Japanese. However, after a Japanese embassy official confirmed that Okamoto was a Japanese national, the Japanese ambassador and his wife took personal responsibility and apologised to the Israeli people. The Japanese government also sent a delegation from Tokyo to handle the claims, which was well-received by the Israelis.
The Lod Airport Massacre had a significant impact on both Israel and Puerto Rico. For Israel, it was a turning point that led to serious changes in its airport security system. The Israeli government established a new security system specific to the airport and introduced enhanced security checks. Additionally, government resolution 411 clarified the division of responsibilities for the security of the state's institutions between the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Israel Police. Since the massacre, there have been no successful terrorist attacks within the airport grounds. Today, Ben Gurion International Airport is internationally recognised as one of the most secure airports in the world, although it has been criticised for using controversial profiling techniques to achieve this level of security.
For Puerto Rico, the massacre was the nation's first encounter with terrorism, resulting in the loss of many citizens. The event had a significant impact on Puerto Rican society, and in 2006, the government passed a law declaring May 30th as the annual "Remembrance Day" to commemorate the victims and honour the survivors. The law also aims to educate the public against terrorism and reinforce the message that "violence against innocents is morally abhorrent".
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The Puerto Rican government established a memorial day to commemorate the victims
On May 30, 1972, three members of the Japanese Red Army recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) attacked Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport) near Tel Aviv. The attack killed 26 people and injured 80 others. Seventeen of those killed were Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico.
In 2006, the Puerto Rican government passed a law declaring May 30th as the annual Remembrance Day for the Massacre of Lod. The law was passed to commemorate the events of that day, to remember and honour those murdered and those who survived, and to educate the Puerto Rican public against terrorism. The law states that the attack set the tone for future events, revealing the power of terrorist ideology to incite murder and create a mood of fear and intimidation.
The legislative initiative for the memorial day was proposed by José Garriga Picó, then an at-large senator of Puerto Rico. It was approved by a unanimous vote of both houses of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico and was signed into law on 2 August 2006 by Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. The first official Lod Massacre Remembrance Day was thus on 30 May 2007, the 35th anniversary of the massacre.
The Puerto Rican government also commissioned a Lod Massacre Memorial, which was installed in 2012. It consists of a granite tablet describing the massacre and listing the names of the 17 American citizens from Puerto Rico who died. It also includes a time capsule.
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Frequently asked questions
The attackers were three members of the Japanese Red Army, who were trained in Lebanon by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). They were able to get by undetected as the airport security was focused on possible Palestinian attacks.
26 people were killed, including 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, one Canadian citizen, and eight Israelis. 80 people were injured.
The Lod Airport Massacre shocked Israel and led to serious changes in its airport security system. The airport is now internationally acclaimed for being one of the most secure airports in the world.
The attack was a shock to Puerto Rico, whose nation was hit for the first time by the phenomenon of terrorism, losing many citizens in the attack. The government passed a law declaring May 30th as the annual "Remembrance Day for the Massacre of Lod" to commemorate those who died and educate the public against terrorism.
The PFLP claimed responsibility for the attack in a letter, indicating that it was revenge for the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre, in which Jewish militias killed about 107 residents of the village.
