A London court on Wednesday acquitted of burglary six defendants who confessed to breaking into a U.K. subsidiary of Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems in 2024.
The defendants were cleared of aggravated burglary, but they may face a retrial on additional charges of criminal damage and violent disorder. The jury reached partial or no verdicts on those counts, according to the BBC’s report of the conclusion of the trial, which began on Nov. 17 at Woolwich Crown Court in the British capital.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews on Wednesday said it was “concerned” following the trial, in which prosecutors presented footage allegedly showing a break-in and at least one defendant using violence against police.
“There is a serious danger of perverse justifications being used as a shield for criminality,” the board’s statement read. “It cannot be the case that those who commit serious criminal acts, including violent assaults, are able to evade the consequences of their actions.”
Five of the defendants, whom prosecutors said were linked to the Palestine Action terrorist group, were released on bail following the burglary verdict, with a sixth remaining in custody at least until the next hearing in the case, set for Feb. 18, the BBC reported.
The jurors found three defendants—Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin—not guilty of violent disorder, though they did not deliver a verdict on the criminal damage charges. The remaining defendants—Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner and Leona Kamio—may face a retrial for both additional charges, The Guardian reported.
All of the defendants except Devlin told jurors that they entered the factory without permission and damaged Elbit’s equipment, including computers and drones. The jury deliberated for 36 hours but did not reach verdicts on the criminal damage charges against any of the defendants, the report said.
During the trial, a police officer testified that Corner, 23, had beaten her. He denied this, according to The Guardian. The prosecution showed footage it said was of Corner assaulting the officer at the Elbit Systems factory near Bristol on Aug. 6, according to the BBC.
The British government outlawed Palestine Action, which was established in 2020, and declared it to be a terrorist organization in July following a series of similar break-ins and what the group called “occupations” of firms with Israeli ties.
