German authorities have arrested five suspects following a protest that targeted the Israeli defense company Elbit in Berlin earlier this week. The protesters threw paint on the building entrance, set off smoke bombs, sprayed graffiti, smashed windows, and broke into the offices. Police surrounded the building and detained five individuals on the upper floor.Due to the company’s Israeli ties and the identities of the demonstrators, the investigation was transferred to Germany’s Center for Security and Counterterrorism. Preliminary findings suggest the group belongs to an extreme crime-terror organization with branches across Europe, including the British group Palestine Action.
2 View gallery
Palestine Action members
(Photo: Reuters/Chris Radburn)
The organization, banned in the U.K. in July after members sabotaged Royal Air Force planes in protest of Britain’s support for Israel in Gaza, has staged multiple demonstrations outside Elbit offices in the U.K.
The five suspects—two men and three women aged 23–39 from Ireland, Spain, Britain, and Germany—remain in custody, while authorities continue searching for three or four additional suspects, conducting raids on Berlin apartments. Evidence linking the group to Palestine Action includes surveillance footage showing at least one protester wearing clothing and a hat associated with the organization.
Palestine Action is known in Germany for regularly participating in violent protests, vandalism, and illegal building intrusions, though the group has not been outlawed there.
On the night of the incident, protesters smashed windows at the Elbit facility, used smoke bombs, sprayed graffiti, and destroyed office contents and communication infrastructure with heavy tools.
“This is an act of terror,” said Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany. “They must be identified and punished severely. There is no place for antisemitism and terror in Germany.” Prosor called the vandals “Hamas supporters.”
Elbit has frequently been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists for its ties to Israel and its defense industry. Last week, two protesters in Poland were arrested for pouring red liquid on an Elbit display at a weapons exhibition in Kielce. The Guardian reported that Elbit subsequently closed a weapons manufacturing plant in the country. In Bristol, U.K., the Elbit site—a frequent target of pro-Palestinian protests, including one on July 1 shortly before the U.K. ban—was shut down unexpectedly.
At the end of July, large banners reading “Remove Elbit from the hall, end the genocide” were displayed, followed by demonstrations demanding the closure of all Elbit offices in Germany.
“The direction of the investigation is not yet fully clear,” a police source involved in the case told Bild. “But the graffiti and other evidence suggest connections with radical leftist groups from other countries.”