Man accused in London Stock Exchange disruption plot

Met police investigate Daily Express tipoff, arresting five others in the plot

A 31-year-old man, Sean Middleborough from Liverpool, faces charges of conspiring to cause public nuisance following the disclosure of an alleged scheme to disrupt the London Stock Exchange and inflict “significant economic harm.” The Metropolitan Police stated that Middleborough is set to appear at Wirral Magistrates Court on Monday.

Three women and two men, linked to the plot, were arrested and subsequently released on bail for further investigation, according to Scotland Yard. The Metropolitan Police initiated the inquiry based on information provided by the Daily Express on Friday. The force stated that activists affiliated with Palestine Action were purportedly planning to “target” the London Stock Exchange on January 15, aiming to cause damage and physically obstruct the building’s opening for trading.

According to The Express, the alleged plot was intended to initiate a scheduled “week of chaos,” while the Metropolitan Police indicated that there was a “suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action.”

The newspaper reported that the group purportedly aimed to cause significant economic damage” by ascending on top of two revolving doors at the building’s front. Armed with red paint-filled fire extinguishers, they planned to lock their necks to the glass entrance using bike locks.

Simultaneously, other activists were to secure themselves in front of both the main and back entrances. Additionally, fake bank notes painted red to symbolize blood were intended to be discharged from “money guns.

The accusations follow a two-month investigation in which an undercover reporter, posing as a group member, engaged with the alleged perpetrators, as reported by the Express. The newspaper asserted that it had established contact with the group’s ringleader, who, on the encrypted messaging app Signal, indicated that the plot scheduled for Monday was a component of a broader week-long campaign targeting British institutions deemed “complicit in Israeli apartheid.

During the course of the investigation, a 29-year-old woman was apprehended in Albert Road, Brent, North London, and a 23-year-old man was detained in Voss Street, Tower Hamlets, East London.

In Liverpool, two women, aged 28 and 26, were arrested, and in Brighton, East Sussex, a 27-year-old man was apprehended.

Palestine Action affirmed on X that the “campaign to end Israel’s weapons trade remains undeterred.

Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas of the Metropolitan Police stated, “We believe this group was prepared to execute a disruptive and damaging stunt with potentially serious implications if successful. I appreciate the Express for their willingness to share information from their own investigation, which played a crucial role in our successful intervention. Given the material was provided to us only on Friday afternoon, we had limited time to take action.

Taking into consideration the indication that this was just one element of a planned week of action, we are in communication with the City of London police and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to ensure that appropriate resources are ready to manage any potential disruptions in the upcoming days.

Palestine Action previously conveyed to the PA Media news agency, The London Stock Exchange raises billions of pounds for apartheid Israel and trades shares in weapons manufacturers that arm Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. While Britain remains complicit in the brutal colonization of Palestine, our direct action campaign will not be deterred.

Members of the group, established in July 2020 with the goal of ending the arms trade with Israel, have faced legal action in recent months. In December, eight activists were acquitted of a total of 12 charges, including criminal damage, burglary, and encouraging criminal damage, according to the group. However, its founder, Richard Barnard, was convicted of criminal damage for his involvement in action against an Elbit Ferranti factory in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

In a trial at Bristol Crown Court, seven activists are confronting charges of burglary and criminal damage for purportedly trespassing into Elbit’s headquarters in the city.