British police on Sunday arrested six people who are members of the Palestine Action protest group as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange.
The police alleged the activists had planned to target the LSE on Monday morning in an attempt to prevent the building opening for trading.
In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said three people were arrested in the northern English city of Liverpool, two in London, and one in the south coast city of Brighton.
“These are significant arrests. We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully,” said Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas.
In the early hours of Sunday, Merseyside Police apprehended a 31-year-old man from Liverpool on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage. Later in the day, five additional individuals were arrested for the same offence. The group comprises a 29-year-old woman from Brent in north London, a 23-year-old man from Tower Hamlets in east London, two women aged 28 and 26 from Liverpool, and a 27-year-old man from Brighton. Authorities are actively investigating the alleged conspiracy, with the arrested individuals currently under police custody.
The police said all six activists remained in custody.
London Stock Exchange Group was not immediately available for comment.
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