Fifteen activists from a group which claimed responsibility for stunts targeting the Ritz and the Crown Jewels have been arrested over alleged plans for “mass shoplifting” in London, the Metropolitan Police has said.
The protest group Take Back Power had been preparing a campaign to steal goods from major supermarkets and redistribute them elsewhere, the force added.
The group had gathered at the Quaker Meeting House in Westminster for what was billed as “nonviolent direct action training”.
They were interrupted by officers from the Met’s Public Order Crime Team and were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft.