- Title: ISRAEL: TIGHT SECURITY AT LOD AIRPORT BECAUSE OF HI-JACKED JAPANESE JUMBO.
- Date: 23rd July 1973
- Summary: 1. GV EXT Ramle Prison (2 shots) 0.08 2. GV & SV Armed security guards checking vehicles entering airport (4 shots) 0.27 3. GV EXT Lod Airport building 0.32 4. GV & SV Security checks at terminal building (2 shots) 0.45 5. SV PAN Armed soldier patrolling building 0.50 6. GV & SV Baggage unloaded from El Al plane (2 shots) 0.58
- Embargoed: 7th August 1973 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOD AIRPORT, ISRAEL
- Country: Israel
- Reuters ID: LVAAPLRJGCMIC7GM3KZ5K7RZ4VNH
- Story Text: On Monday night (July 23) Israel reactivated its state of emergency at Lod Airport near Tel Aviv after the news that the hi-jacked Japanese Jumbo jet had taken off from Dubai.
Soon after the news broke Defence Minister Moshe Dayan and the military Chief of Staff Lieut. General David Elazar went to the airport.
A report that Israel had a request from the Japanese Government to give the 'plane free passage if it came into Israeli airspace was not officially confirmed.
But normal traffic continued at the airport.
On Friday (July 20) a full scale alert was called a t Lod as soon as the Israeli authorities heard of the hi-jack.
Security the forces, ambulances and fire engines ringed the area and a emergency Cabinet meeting was called.
Although the original stat of emergency was called off, security has been tight throughout the weekend.
The hi-jackers were reported to have demanded the freedom of Kozo Okamoto now serving a life sentence for his part in last year's massacre at Lod. But the demand was not repeated.
There were heavier guards on prisons.
The prison where Okamoto is serving his sentence has never been revealed.
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