A group of pro-Palestinian activists have been arrested on suspicion of planning to disrupt the work of the London Stock Exchange, police said on Sunday.
The arrests were made in London, Liverpool and Brighton. The suspects, aged 26 to 31, remain in custody.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the authorities were tipped off by the newspaper Daily Express about a group that sought to target the LSE, “causing damage and ‘locking on’ in an effort to prevent the building opening for trading.” The plan was supposed to be executed on Monday morning, police said.
“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. He added that officers will be on a lookout for “any disruption in the coming days.”
Multiple pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrations have been held in London and other UK cities after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7. Some rallies descended into scuffles with police.
In early November, a group of Palestine supporters, who were demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, staged a sit-in at King’s Cross station in central London. Five people were arrested for violating the restrictions on public assembly.
Earlier this month, pro-Palestine protesters briefly blocked roads outside the Parliament building in London.
The latest round of violence in the Middle East erupted on October 7, when Hamas and allied Palestinian militant groups attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel responded by declaring war on Hamas and launching a military operation in Gaza. More than 23,000 Palestinian have died since, according to local Hamas-run authorities.
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