Group planned 'as much damage as possible' - court
Nine members of the proscribed group are accused of targeting the Instro Precision plant in 2024.
**Group planned 'as much damage as possible' - court**
**All the defendants deny charges of criminal damage, burglary and violent disorder**
Supporters of Palestine Action broke into a Kent factory carrying sledgehammers, bolt cutters, smoke bombs and fireworks, intending to cause as much damage as possible, a court has heard.
During the dawn raid on Instro Precision in Sandwich on 17 June 2024, a security guard was sprayed with red paint and another man’s Land Rover was smashed while he was inside it, the Old Bailey was told.
Nine men and women are on trial accused of criminal damage, burglary with intent and violent disorder.
Prosecutor Anne Whyte KC said the group meant to "smash up" the premises "until they were stopped".
The defendants were said to be supporters of the banned Palestine Action group, which had deliberately targeted the plant because of its link to Elbit, an Israeli-linked defence company.
Whyte said: "The attack was carefully planned, and everyone involved had their own specific role."
Jurors were told on Tuesday that the attackers were broadly divided into two groups, one wearing black boiler suits and the other red.
The black-clad group was there to "overwhelm" security guards, allowing the red team to get inside the building and cause "extensive damage", Whyte said.
The court heard that others acted as organisers, drivers or were assigned to block access to the site.
In the days before the break-in, a "safe house" was said to have been rented in Herne Bay, with defendants travelling to Kent from different parts of the UK.
The factory at Discovery Park in Sandwich was said to have been targeted because of its connection to an Israeli linked defence company.
A white van was also hired to take the group to Instro and help some of them escape after the attack, the court heard.
Parts of the attack were recorded on multiple cameras, including CCTV and the intruders’ mobile phones, jurors were told.
Security staff eventually managed to sound the alarm and, after more guards arrived, six members of the red team were said to have been detained before police reached the scene.
The black team returned to the hired van and got back to the safe house at about 04.35 BST, the prosecution told the Old Bailey.
The nine men and women on trial are alleged to include members of the red team, one member of the black team and others who helped at the perimeter, along with travel and other arrangements.
The defendants are: Julija Brigadirova, 34, from Manchester; Nasser Akhtar, 39, of Crystal Palace; Elliot Wilson, 26 from Liverpool; Maximillian Dixon, 31, of Brockley, south-east London; Nirad Abrol, 27, of Birmingham; Seirol Davies, 31, from Plymouth; Xavi Davies, 23, of Binfield, Berkshire; Eoin O'Meara, 36, of Bristol; and Hannah Davidson, 53, of Edinburgh.
They deny the charges against them as the trial continues.