Eight Palestine Action activists ‘planned Elbit attack to cause maximum damage’

Eight Palestine Action supporters allegedly organised an attack to cause “the maximum amount of damage” to an Israel-linked weapons manufacturer in the UK, a court has heard.

The defendants are jointly charged with criminal damage and violent disorder at an Elbit Systems’ factory in Filton, near Bristol, on August 6 2024.

None of them was at the scene at the time, but their plans included compiling an equipment list, reconnaissance, and purchasing tools and weapons used by others, Deanna Heer KC told the Old Bailey on Monday.

The prosecutor said in her trial opening: “The defendants in the dock may not have gone to the premises that night, but they are equally responsible for what happened there because they were responsible for planning and organising the attack and ensuring that it was executed so that the maximum amount of damage was caused.”

The plan was to “to shut Elbit down for as long as possible”, Ms Heer said.

The defendants are William Plastow, 35, of Didsbury, Manchester; Ian Sanders, 47, of Leamington Spa, Warwick; and Aleksandra Herbich, 41, of Brent, north-west London.

As well as Teuta Hoxha, 30, of Southwark, south-east London; Sean Middlebrough, 33, of Liverpool; Julija Brigadirova, 33, from Chorlton, Manchester.

Hannah Davidson, 53, and Madeleine Norman, 31, both from Edinburgh, are also on trial.

Police discovered a link to a planning document on Davidson’s phone that contained such a “level of detail” that “no-one briefed on it could have been surprised at how events unfolded that night”, Ms Heer said.

It stated their purpose was to: “Shut Elbit Down. This is our primary objective as Palestine Action. We can do that by sticking together and ensuring its destruction with our brains and muscles.”

Security guards were referred to as “Elbit Pigs” in the CryptPad document, which is an online, encrypted storage website, the court heard.

Alleged reconnaissance photographs taken by Hoxha appeared in another CryptPad item titled “Bristol Feltham Recce”, along with aerial views of the Filton factory, jurors were told.

The defendants communicated using nicknames on the encrypted messaging platform Signal.

“They were careful to ensure that their discussions remained secure, using burner phones during the incident itself in order to conceal their identity and their movements,” Ms Heer said.

“All of this was in accordance with advice contained in the Palestine Action planning documents.”

Nonetheless, their telephones numbers were identified and some conversations recovered, she told jurors.

Cell site data, ANPR and CCTV footage shows some of them met up in various locations in the days leading up to incident.

Brigadirova, Hoxha and Herbich met with Middlebrough in his home town of Liverpool on 24 July, and the latter three were photographed on nearby Formby Beach the next day, the court heard.

Hoxha left for Bristol, and it is alleged that she carried out a reconnaissance trip at the Elbit factory on 26 July.

The defendant photographed the factory and its security guards, and these images appeared on the Bristol Feltham Recce document, the court heard.

Meanwhile, Davidson was on the same day searching for aerial drone footage of Bristol and the Elbit site on YouTube, jurors were told.

She also allegedly downloaded instructions on how to modify a fire extinguisher to spray red paint.

On 29 July, Davidson, Norman, Hoxha and Herbich travelled to Manchester from their homes, the trial was told.

Two days later, Plastow spent hundreds of pounds in Manchester on items used in the attack, it is alleged.

Middlebrough transferred £600 to Plastow on 31 July and, later that day, Plastow bought head torches and rucksacks using cash and his Monzo card at Go Outdoors in Stockport, Greater Manchester, the court heard.

The next morning Plastow spent £716.42 in cash on items including sledgehammers, hammers, safety goggles, helmets and bolt cutters at a Screwfix in Manchester.

Middlebrough paid him a further £290, and Plastow purchased more rucksacks for £149.95 at Decathlon in Stockport.

The defendants, except Plastow, travelled to Bristol where two rendezvous points had been booked – a campsite and an Airbnb, the court heard.

They arrived on 4 August and left the Bristol area in the hours after the incident.

Davidson was arrested at her home in Edinburgh on 7 August and is accused of being a “co-ordinator, with access to the action plan” and equipment list.

Plastow was arrested at home in Didsbury, Manchester, on August 9, and his Monzo card, allegedly used to buy items used in the attack, was found hidden in a drain, the court heard.

Meanwhile, Sanders was arrested on 10 August in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, and is accused of transporting equipment to Bristol.

Various items linked to the attack were found at his home address in Leamington Spa, it is alleged.

Norman was arrested in Edinburgh on 13 August and prosecutors claim she “took a key organisational role in the attack” and was likely involved in subsequently publicising the incident.

Hoxha was arrested on 19 November in Crystal Palace Road, London, and “took an organisational role”, Ms Heer said.

Middlebrough was arrested on that date and is accused of organising the offences by transferring money to Plastow to buy tools.

He was present at the Liverpool meeting and the Airbnb “no doubt helping to clear it of any evidence which might incriminate the defendants”, Ms Heer said.

Brigadirova and Herbich were also arrested on 19 November at addresses in Manchester and London, respectively. Both allegedly coordinated events.

All of the defendants declined to answer questions in a police interview apart from when Plastow gave a prepared statement that he was in Manchester during the incident, prosecutors said.

The trial continues.