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Counter-terrorism police in the UK have arrested four people on Friday in connection with an incident last week where military planes were sprayed with paint during a break-in at RAF Brize Norton.
A 29-year-old woman and two men, aged 36 and 24, both from London, have all been detained on terror charges.
Those people are suspected of “the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000,” the force said.
A 41-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
The arrests took place in Newbury in Berkshire, and all suspects remain in custody.
The group Palestine Action said in a statement last Friday that two of its members had entered the Royal Air Force base 110 kilometres west of London and used electric scooters to approach the Voyager jets, which are used for air-to-air refuelling.
The duo sprayed red paint into the planes’ turbine engines with repurposed fire extinguishers.
They caused further damage with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage appearing to show an individual approach a jet and spray paint into the engine.
The activists left the base without being detained, Palestine Action said.
The group said after the incident that “despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets.”
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident had taken place, saying: “We strongly condemn this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the vandalism as “disgraceful” in a post on X.
Palestine Action outlawed
The arrests come in the same week as the British government said it would ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws after the Brize Norton break-in.
The measure means it will be a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, with a maximum of 14 years in prison.
Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley described Palestine Action as an “organised extremist criminal group,” while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the protest at the airbase was the latest in the group’s “long history of unacceptable criminal damage.”
She said the group’s recent actions, including an attack against a defence factory in Glasgow in 2022, have resulted in damage that runs into millions of euros.
In March, Palestine Action targeted one of US President Donald Trump’s golf resorts in Scotland, painting “Gaza is Not For Sale” in giant letters on the lawn in response to his proposal to empty the Strip of its Palestinian population.
The government said a draft order will be laid in parliament next week. Lawmakers still need to approve it.
Britain’s government has proscribed about 80 extremist groups, including Hamas and al-Qaeda, and far-right organisations such as National Action.
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