All nine suspects in attack on Israeli firm Elbit’s UK warehouse plead not guilty

Illustrative — Activists from the Extinction Rebellion North and Palestine Action groups protest at the gates of the Elbit Ferranti factory in waterhead, Oldham in north-west England on February 1, 2021. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Illustrative — Activists from the Extinction Rebellion North and Palestine Action groups protest at the gates of the Elbit Ferranti factory in waterhead, Oldham in north-west England on February 1, 2021. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

Nine people appear in a London court to deny offenses including burglary, criminal damage, violent disorder and hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer, over an incident at a warehouse linked to Israeli defense firm Elbit.

The nine, who prosecutors have said were activists from the protest organization Palestine Action, are accused of smashing their way into the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol, southwest England, in August.

At a previous hearing, prosecutors said a repurposed prison van was used to smash through fencing before some of the group damaged items in the warehouse using sledgehammers.

Four men and five women, aged between 20 and 51, appeared by video link at London’s Old Bailey Court. All nine plead not guilty to aggravated burglary and causing criminal damage which has been estimated at 1 million pounds.

Seven of them also deny a charge of violent disorder, while one, Simon Corner, pleads not guilty to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, for allegedly striking a police officer with a sledgehammer.

Another nine people also charged with offenses over the incident appear at the hearing but do not enter pleas.

The first trial involving eight of the defendants is due to start in November, with the others appearing at two subsequent trials. A hearing will also be held to determine whether the cases should be treated as a terrorism matter.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have repeatedly targeted Elbit Systems UK and other defense firms in Britain linked to Israel in the wake of the conflict in Gaza.

Palestine Action has said the targeted site was Elbit’s new 35 million-pound ($43 million) research and development hub. Elbit’s website says its UK subsidiary employs 680 people at 16 sites, working on multiple programs for the British military.

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