A man has been charged over alleged plans to disrupt the London Stock Exchange, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Sean Middleborough, 31, from Liverpool, will appear at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
He was arrested in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage. Five other individuals were arrested on suspicion of trying to disrupt
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Action group were intending to target the financial hub on Monday.
The arrests, made in London, Liverpool, and Brighton on Sunday, were prompted by intelligence shared by the Daily Express, leading authorities to believe that the Palestine Action group was planning to cause damage and employ tactics to “lock on” with the intention of preventing the building from opening for trading.
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On Sunday, Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas emphasized the gravity of the situation. “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,” she said.
The arrests included a 31-year-old man from Liverpool apprehended on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage by Merseyside Police in the early hours of Sunday.
Later in the day, five more individuals were arrested over the same offense, including 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 in Brighton.
Detective Superintendent Thomas expressed gratitude to the Daily Express for their cooperation, stating, “I’m grateful to the Express for their willingness to provide the information gleaned from their own investigation.
It was instrumental in helping us intervene successfully. Having only been provided with the material on Friday afternoon, we had limited time to act.”
The Met Police is treating this as a serious matter, considering the potential implications of the disruption planned by the activists. Authorities revealed that they are mindful of the suggestion that this might be one part of a planned week of action.
The force is in contact with other law enforcement agencies, including the City of London Police, to ensure that any further disruption can be effectively dealt with.
Detective Superintendent Thomas commended the determined efforts of the Met’s public order crime team and colleagues in Merseyside, stating, “It was thanks to the determined efforts of the Met’s public order crime team and colleagues in Merseyside that officers were able to identify, locate, and arrest those we suspect to be involved in this plot.”
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