Court hears Elbit raid was rushed to stop drone shipment

A London court heard on Friday that a break-in at an Israeli-owned arms factory was accelerated because activists feared a shipment of drones was about to leave the site. Five defendants are standing trial at Woolwich Crown Court for criminal damage and violent disorder connected to the 2024 incident at Elbit Systems in Filton, near Bristol.

Qesser Zuhrah, 21, testified that she helped coordinate the operation. She told jurors the group learned of an "immediate shipment of weapons" scheduled to depart the factory. This intelligence led the organizers to speed up their timeline. Zuhrah, who was a 19-year-old student at the time, stated she believed Elbit supplied 85 percent of Israel's land-based weaponry.

The prosecution describes the defendants as the "black team." They allegedly wore black jumpsuits to overwhelm security personnel. This distraction was intended to allow a second group, the "red team," to drive a prison van into the factory. Prosecutors say the black team used fireworks, whips, hammers, and large kebab skewers to intimidate guards and clear a path.

Zuhrah denied the charges. She explained that the black team's role was to create a smoke screen with fireworks and flares. This noise and visual cover would mask the van as it rammed the shutters. She said the plan was to leave immediately after the breach. She described the tools as "contingency tools" for if the van failed to break through the barriers.

During the raid, a member of the black team used an angle grinder on the shutters. Zuhrah said she lit flares in an open space to generate smoke. She claimed she did not see security staff at that moment. Once the van crashed through the entrance, the group attempted to exit through the perimeter fence.

Zuhrah said the group stopped when a member was found on the ground. She described seeing a person being dragged backward by their throat. She fired a firework into the space in front of her, hoping to break up the confrontation. She stated she did not aim it at the guards. One security guard was seen swinging an axe and a whip while shouting.

Zuhrah said the group ran back toward the fence while being pursued. She climbed a pole to cross the barrier but was whipped by a guard. She told the court, "This was not part of the plan, we were meant to leave. I had exams I had to get home and do." In cross-examination, she clarified that references to "fight or flight" in prior messages referred to the risk of arrest, not physical violence.

The trial continues with the remaining evidence scheduled for presentation to the jury.