Overview

• Six defendants accused over the August 2024 Elbit Systems break-in were remanded after an Old Bailey appearance, with a plea hearing set for December 12 at Woolwich Crown Court and a provisional trial starting February 1, 2027.
• Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Crown Court constraints prevent trials with more than six in-custody co-defendants, forcing the Elbit prosecutions into multiple tranches and leaving 18 other charged defendants waiting on separate listings.
• Muhammad Umer Khalid, charged over the June 2025 RAF Brize Norton incident, was remanded with a plea hearing on January 16, 2026 and a provisional trial at the Old Bailey from January 18, 2027 alongside four co-accused.
• Prosecutors described the Brize Norton raid as a sophisticated attack with a terrorist connection that allegedly caused £7 million of damage to two Voyager aircraft using red paint from fire extinguishers and crowbars thrown into engine rotors.
• The Elbit break-in near Patchway allegedly caused around £1 million of damage with sledgehammers, Palestine Action was proscribed on July 5 under anti-terror laws, and recent arrests followed counter-terror police raids.