A man has been charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance after an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange and cause “enormous economic damage” was revealed.
Sean Middleborough, 31, from Liverpool, will appear at Wirral Magistrates' Court on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said.
Five other people, three women and two men, were also arrested in connection with the plot and released on bail pending further investigations, Scotland Yard said.
The Met launched an investigation after information was passed to it by the Daily Express on Friday.
Activists from the Palestinian Action group were allegedly plotting to “target” the London Stock Exchange on the morning of January 15 to cause damage and “blockade” to prevent the building from opening for trading, the force said.
The Express reported that the plot would allegedly kick off a planned “week of chaos”, while the Met said there was a “suggestion that this was part of a planned week of action”.
The newspaper said the group allegedly hoped to cause “enormous economic damage” by climbing onto two revolving doors at the front of the building, armed with fire extinguishers filled with red paint, before locking their necks in the glass entrance using bicycle locks.
Other activists stood together in front of the front and back entrances, while counterfeit bills, painted red to represent blood, were shot from “money guns.”
The accusations come after a two-month investigation during which a journalist posed as a member of the group, the Express reported.
He claimed to have been in contact with the group's ringleader, who said on the encrypted messaging app Signal that Monday's plot was part of a week of action against British institutions "complicit in Israeli apartheid."
A 29-year-old woman was arrested in Albert Road, Brent, north London, and a 23-year-old man was detained in Voss Street, Tower Hamlets, east London.
Two women, aged 28 and 26, were arrested in Liverpool and a 27-year-old man was arrested in Brighton, East Sussex.
Palestine Action tweeted on X that the “campaign to end Israel's arms trade remains strong.”
Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We believe this group was set to carry out a disturbing and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications if carried out successfully.
“I thank the Express for its willingness to provide information obtained from its own investigation. He was instrumental in helping us intervene successfully. Since the material was not provided to us until Friday afternoon, we had a limited time to act.
“Aware of the suggestion that this was part of a week of planned action, we are in contact with the City of London Police, as well as other forces across the UK, to ensure that adequate resources are in place to tackle to any interruption in the days to come."
Palestine Action previously told news agency PA Media: “The London Stock Exchange raises billions of pounds for apartheid Israel and trades in shares of arms manufacturers that weaponize Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people. “As long as Britain remains complicit in the brutal colonization of Palestine, our direct action campaign will not be deterred.”
Several members of the group, which formed in July 2020 and claims to want to end the arms trade with Israel, have been the subject of legal action in recent months.
In December, eight activists were acquitted of a total of 12 charges, including criminal damage, theft and encouraging criminal damage, the group said, while its founder, Richard Barnard, was convicted of criminal damage for his part in action against a factory by Elbit Ferranti. in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
Seven activists face charges of theft and criminal damage in a trial at Bristol Crown Court after allegedly breaking into Elbit's headquarters in the city.
