The unexpected violin cases that carried a deadly mission
In short: In 1972, airport security was watching for Palestinian militants, not Japanese revolutionaries. Three attackers arrived at Lod Airport with slim violin cases, hiding Czech assault rifles inside. What followed was a sudden, indiscriminate massacre that changed the nature of international terrorism and left a lasting mark on Puerto Rico.
On May 30, 1972, members of the Japanese Red Army (JRA) executed an attack at Lod Airport, near Tel Aviv. The three perpetrators—Tsuyoshi Okudaira, Yasuyuki Yasuda, and Kōzō Okamoto—arrived on an Air France flight from Rome. Dressed conservatively, they appeared unremarkable until they opened their violin cases to reveal Czech vz. 58 assault rifles. The resulting violence killed 26 people and wounded 80 others, including 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico.
The logistics of the attack suggest a complex web of international cooperation. While the attackers were trained in Baalbek, Lebanon, the operation was planned by Wadie Haddad, head of the PFLP External Operations. Some speculation, including reports from Der Spiegel, suggested the mission may have been funded by a portion of the $5 million ransom paid by West Germany to free Lufthansa Flight 649 hostages earlier that year. The attack was so unexpected that some debate whether all victims were targeted by the attackers or caught in the crossfire of security forces.
The aftermath left a legacy of both legal battles and national remembrance. Kōzō Okamoto, the sole captured attacker, served 13 years before being released in a 1985 prisoner exchange. Decades later, in 2010, a U.S. court ordered North Korea to pay $378 million in compensation to families, following a lawsuit alleging material support for the JRA and PFLP. In Puerto Rico, the tragedy is officially commemorated every May 30 as 'Lod Massacre Remembrance Day,' a day established in 2006 to honor the victims and educate against terrorism.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Lod Airport massacre
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