February 4, 2026 - Six Palestine Action activists who broke into an Israeli arms factory in the UK have been acquitted or not convicted of all charges against them.
Campaigners told The Electronic Intifada on Wednesday that the result was a “monumental” and “total” victory.
After eight days of deliberation in January and February, the jury either acquitted or refused to convict Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin of all charges.
Five out of the six were released on bail Wednesday evening. All six were found not guilty of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge which could have led to life sentences.
The six activists were arrested on site in August 2024 and held on remand for 17 months.
They were the first of a total of 24 defendants to face trials relating to the invasion and smashing of a factory in Filton, near Bristol in the west of England, owned by a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer.
The group of 24 includes some of the prisoners who recently went on a hunger strike.
Once inside, the group destroyed Israeli quadcopter drones, which have been used frequently to massacre Palestinians in Gaza.
During the trial, acquitted defendant Fatema Zainab Rajwani was open that, “I damaged drones which is what I went in to do.” She commented on video footage shown to the court, saying, “That is me dismantling a quadcopter drone with a crowbar,” and explaining that the group wanted to “document the presence of quadcopters and [Elbit’s] crimes.”
Fourteen other defendants were rounded up by Britain’s feared Counter Terrorism Police, in a series of violent pre-dawn raids in November 2024 and July last year.
A Palestine Action source told The Electronic Intifada on Wednesday that the remaining Filton 24 prisoners will now appeal to be released on bail.
Such prisoners can usually be held on remand before trial for up to six months. But the politicization and fallacious government “terrorism” campaign against the group – in connivance with Israel – meant that the campaigners have been held on remand for as long as 17 months.
In addition to beating the most serious charge, the jury acquitted Fatema Zainab Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin of violent disorder. It refused to convict Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner and Leona Kamio of the same charge.
Samuel Corner was also not convicted of “grievous bodily harm with intent” for allegedly striking a police officer.
Crucially, the jury refused to convict any of the defendants of criminal damage.
Yet five of the group had admitted in court to destroying Israeli weapons and equipment belonging to Elbit at the factory. [link]
