On May 30, 1972, Israels only international airport was shaken by its first deadly terrorist attack, shattering the foundation of the state’s security. The massacre was significant not only for Israel, but also for Puerto Rico, whose nation was hit for the first time by the phenomenon of terrorism, losing many citizens in the attack. On that day, three inconspicuous Japanese men dressed in business suits disembarked Air France Flight 132 from Rome and strolled into the baggage claim area. After retrieving what appeared to be violin cases, the men pulled out machine guns, opened fire and threw grenades indiscriminately at the crowds of people. One of the three, Tsuyoshi Okudaira, ran out onto the tarmac and began shooting at passengers descending the stairs from an El Al plane before taking his own life. The gunmen killed 26 people: 17 Christian pilgrims from Puerto Rico, one Canadian citizen, and eight Israelis. 80 people were injured. Among the Israelis killed was renowned scientist Aharon Katzir, whose brother, Ephraim Katzier became president a few years later. Gunman Yasuyuki Yasuda was also shot dead during the attack - it is unclear whether by his own weapon or that of his partners or security forces. The lone surviving gunman, Kozo Okomato, was injured, arrested by security forces and given a life sentence. He was later freed in the 1985 prisoner swap known as the Gibril Deal between Israel and the Palestinians. In a document cited by Puerto Rican online newspaper Primera Hora, Pablo Tirado related that his father, who was injured in the attack, “came out of the baggage claim area and walked to the bathroom,” while Camelo Calderon Molina, who was killed in the massacre, “was waiting in the baggage claim area with others standing nearby.” He said the terrorists ran through the airport shooting and throwing grenades until they ran out of ammunition. Molina’s daughter Ruth Calderon Cordona cried as she gave her testimony, 37 years after losing her father: “He always told us he didn’t want to die until he saw the land where Jesus walked - but he never saw it, because he died in the airport,” Primera Hora quoted her as saying. The assailants, members of communist group the Japanese Red Army (JRA), were enlisted by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), after the group successfully hijacked a Japanese plane earlier that year and to exploit their Japanese identities, which would diminish attention from airport security. While security forces were always alert to potential Palestinian attackers, the use of Japanese men caught them off guard. The attack forever changed security attitudes in Israel, opening authorities’ eyes to the possibility that any person, of any nationality, may pose a threat. Puerto Rican victim Molina’s eight children - along with Tirado whose father Pablo Tirado Ayala was injured in the attack - filed a lawsuit in 2008 against the government of North Korea. Shurat Ha Din together with Puerto Rican attorney Manuel de San Juan represented the families, charging North Korea with involvement in the attack. The result was a $378 million judgement against North Korea. Beyond legal steps, Puerto Rico immortalized the Lod Airport Massacre into the public memory. In 2006 the Puerto Rican government passed a law declaring May 30th as the annual “Remembrance Day for the Massacre of Lod.” The law states that the attack - a generation before September 11 - set the tone for future events. The Lod Airport Massacre shocked Israel into making serious changes in its airport security system and there have not been any successful terrorist attacks within the airport grounds since. The meticulous security measures serve as a constant reminder to the Israeli public of past tragedies, while half way across the world, the Puerto Ricans commemorate yearly the victims they lost at the hands of international terrorism.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 17:52:16 +0000