LONDON: Five members of the banned group Palestine Action will not be sentenced as terrorists for their part in a vandalism incident on a high street bank in the UK.
Brendon O’Hagan, Amanda Kelly, Hmeera Atiqnisar, Mohammed Malik and Alma Yaniv were convicted in June of causing damage to a branch of Barclays Bank in the English town of Burnley, including smashing windows and throwing red paint in August 2024.
Known as the “Barclays five,” they caused around £200,000 ($272,725) of damage in the incident, which they said was in protest of Barclays holding shares in Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
The jury found them guilty of all charges, but both they and the defendants were unaware that the five could be sentenced as terrorists until after the verdicts were returned.
Following the jury’s decision, Judge Philip Parry told lawyers for the prosecution and defense that he would consider a “terrorist connection” in relation to the offenses.
