British law enforcement personnel arrested six individuals in relation to an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange.
On Sunday, police announced that the suspects were members of a Palestine Action group. The Met Police noted in a press release that they received information regarding the plot from the media outlet Daily Express on Friday.
The media outlet published an exclusive story regarding the alleged plans on Sunday morning, in which one of its reporters posed as a prospective group member as part of a two-month investigation.
The pro-Palestine suspects allegedly planned to chain themselves by the neck to the stock exchange's entrances on Monday. In one case, they sought the use of a ladder placed above revolving doors to prevent the exchange from opening and to prolong the disruption for a full working day if possible.
In a press release, Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas said that the arrests they made were significant. He added that they believe the pro-Palestine group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging plan that could have had serious implications if it was successfully carried out, as per Fox Business.
Thomas noted that he was grateful to the Express for the media outlet's willingness to provide the information gleaned from their own investigation. He said that the development was "instrumental" in helping authorities intervene in the alleged plot successfully.
The detective superintendent said that they were mindful of the suggestion that the plot was one part of a planned week of action. They are now in contact with the City of London Police as well as other forces across the United Kingdom. They want to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to deal with any disruption in the coming days.
While the arrested individuals were trying to disrupt trading, there was none taking place at the London Stock Exchange itself. This is because equity trading is fully electronic and the exchange has not had a physical trading floor since 1986.
Pro-Palestine Action Group Members
All of the apprehended suspects were in their 20s or early 30s and had planned the disruption plot to cause financial losses for UK companies that were doing business with the Israel Defense Force (IDF), according to CNBC.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023, London has become the site of some of the largest demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The pro-Palestine activists involved in the latest incident also planned to spray fire extinguishers and shoot fake bank notes painted red out of "money guns" around the stock exchange.
Law enforcement authorities said that a 31-year-old man was arrested in Liverpool on Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage in relation to the incident. Five others, who were believed to be part of the same alleged plot, were arrested on Sunday for the same charge.
These were a 29-year-old woman from Albert Road, Brent, a 23-year-old man, from Voss Street, Tower Hamlets, two women aged 28 and 26 from Liverpool, and a 27-year-old from Brighton, East Sussex, said The Independent.