A man has been charged and is due to appear in court over an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange.
Sean Middleborough, 31, of Woodlee Road, Liverpool, will appear at Wirral Magistrates’ Court today charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
The Metropolitan Police said five other people arrested on Sunday – three women and two men – have been bailed pending further inquiries.
London Stock Exchange— (AFP via Getty Images)
They said an investigation began after information passed on by the Daily Express which suggested that the Palestine Action activists intended to target the London Stock Exchange on Monday morning.
The group intended to cause damage by “locking on” in an effort to prevent the building opening for trading, according to the information.
Palestine Action told The Independent that the London Stock Exchange raises ‘billions of pounds’ for Israel— (Getty Images)
The force added that there was a “suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action”.
“We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully,” Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas said.
“I’m grateful to The Express for their willingness to provide the information gleaned from their own investigation. It was instrumental in helping us intervene successfully.”
The newspaper said the group hoped to cause “huge economic damage” by climbing on top of two revolving doors at the front of the building, armed with red paint-filled fire extinguishers, before locking their necks to the glass entrance using bike locks.
Other activists would lock themselves together in front of the main and back entrances, while fake bank notes, painted red to represent blood, were fired from “money guns”.
The allegations come after a two-month investigation during which a reporter posed as a member of the group, the Express reported.
She added that the force had only received the information on Friday afternoon and had “limited time to act” to find the suspects.
She added: “Mindful of the suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action, we are in contact with the City of London Police as well as other forces across the UK to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to deal with any disruption in the coming days.”
In addition to Sean Middleborough, a 29-year-old woman was arrested in Albert Road, Brent, and a 23-year-old man was arrested in Voss Street, Tower Hamlets.
Two women, aged 28 and 26, were arrested in Liverpool and a 27-year-old man was also arrested in Brighton.
A Palestine Action spokesperson told The Independent: “The London Stock Exchange raise billions of pounds for apartheid Israel and trade shares in weapons manufacturers who arm Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
Thousands took to the streets of London on Saturday to march against Israel’s attacks on Palestine— (PA Wire)
“While Britain remains complicit in the brutal colonisation of Palestine, our direct action campaign will not be deterred.”
It comes as weekly protests continue to take place across the UK to march against the ongoing attacks in Gaza. On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets of London as part of a global day of action against Israel’s invasion.
Israel and Hamas have been waging war for 101 days since gunmen from the Palestinian militant group launched an attack on southern Israel, triggering an Israeli military campaign in which nearly 24,000 Palestinians have been killed.
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