Activists 'armed with kebab skewers' in Elbit raid

Palestine Action activists armed with kebab skewers, whips and hammers attacked security guards during a raid at a factory, a court has heard.

Qesser Zuhrah, 21, Zahra Farooque, 26, Kamran Ahmed, 29, Heba Muraisi, 31, and Liam Mullany, 34, are on trial for their role in the break-in at the Elbit Systems UK Ltd factory on 6 August 2024.

The five, who deny charges of criminal damage and violent disorder, are accused of overwhelming guards so that others activists could break in and damage items inside the factory at Filton, on the outskirts of Bristol.

At their trial at Woolwich Crown Court, jurors heard a guard suffered a 4cm gash to his head in the attack.

Prosecutors said the defendants were part of a "black team", wearing black jumpsuits, whose role was to distract the security guards so a "red team", wearing red jumpsuits, could break into the factory and destroy property.

Opening the trial, Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said: "The black team did that by threatening, intimidating and, if necessary, assaulting the guards by throwing fireworks at them, brandishing weapons such as whips and hammers and large metal kebab skewers."

Heer added the attack at Elbit, whose parent company is based in Israel, was "carefully planned" and "everyone taking part knew what their role was and what was required".

Footage of the break-in, shown to jurors, appeared to show black team members lighting fireworks and launching them toward security guards, while others cracked whips and raised kebab skewers as they swore and shouted at guards to "back off".

Heer told jurors: "Their intention, no doubt, was to frighten and intimidate them and so prevent them from intervening to stop the red team from entering the factory."

The prosecutor said security guard Nigel Shaw suffered a 4cm cut to his head after being struck by members of the black team, whose faces were masked.

The court was told that Muraisi "appears to have taken a leading role, shouting instructions to the other members of the team".

Jurors were told that a prison van, driven by a member of the red team, crashed through the first perimeter fence surrounding Elbit's factory at about 03:30 BST.

The black team followed on foot shouting "Free Palestine" as the van was driven through a second perimeter fence at the site of the firm.

The court heard that Zuhrah had acted as a "co-ordinator" of the black team and her role involved "recruiting people, encouraging them to join Palestine Action and training them".

Footage was shown to jurors of the red team damaging parts of the factory and the court heard that Palestine Action activists published some footage of the attack they had recorded on GoPro cameras.

Mullany, of Loop Farm Rd, Poole; Ahmed, of Langdon Crescent, London; Farooque, of Delorme Street, London; Muraisi, of Bedford Avenue, London; and Zuhrah, of Llandover Road, London, deny criminal damage and violent disorder.

The trial continues.

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