By Max Foster, CNN
London (CNN) — Six people were arrested Sunday over a suspected plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange (LSE) when the market opened for trade Monday, London’s Metropolitan Police has said.
Detectives began an investigation after information was passed to the Metropolitan Police by the Daily Express newspaper Friday.
It was alleged that activists from the Palestine Action group intended to target the exchange on Monday morning to cause damage and prevent it from “opening for trading,” according to a statement from the police force.
The LSE hasn’t had a physical trading floor since 1986, with all equities trading taking place electronically. UK markets were functioning as normal Monday.
Palestine Action is a British-based activist group thataims to disrupt the operations of weapons manufacturers supplying the Israeli government.
The group said in a post on X Sunday that the LSE raised “billions of pounds for the apartheid state of Israel” and “actively” boasted about its support for Israeli businesses.
Metropolitan Police officers, working alongside colleagues from Merseyside Police in Liverpool, arrested six people Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage, the London force said, adding that all six remained in custody.
According to a post on X from Palestine Action Monday, five of the six arrested activists have been released, while one has been charged with an offense and is shortly due to appear in court.
Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas said: “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.”
“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 London Stock Exchange declined to comment on the matter.
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