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Five European activists on trial in Germany over anti-Israel vandalism

The September attack at the offices of Israeli defense company Elbit caused over $1 million in damage.

An Elbit security guard watches over activists from Palestine Action in lock-ons as they block the road outside the Elbit Systems facility in Bristol, England, on Nov. 7, 2023. Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images.
An Elbit security guard watches over activists from Palestine Action in lock-ons as they block the road outside the Elbit Systems facility in Bristol, England, on Nov. 7, 2023. Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images.

Five Europeans appeared in a German court on Monday on charges of causing over $1 million in damage at the German office of an Israeli defense company.

The five suspects, who range in age from 25 to 40 and include an Irish, a Brit, a Spaniard and a German, damaged office equipment and windows during the September attack on the office of the Israeli defense firm Elbit in the southern German city of Ulm.

The five defendants are members of the anti-Israel organization Palestine Action Germany, which subsequently published videos claiming responsibility for the attack, according to the charge sheet.

A similar attack was carried out by members of the group against Elbit offices in the United Kingdom in August 2024.

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