Three women have been charged under the Terrorism Act following a dramatic incident in which a van was driven into the perimeter fence of the Leonardo defence facility on Ferry Road in Edinburgh last week.
The incident occurred on the morning of Tuesday 15 July and involved a blue Ford Transit van breaching the security fence of the site, which employs around 1,800 people and plays a critical role in developing radars and countermeasure systems for military aircraft.
Shortly after the incident, a pro-Palestinian activist group named Shut Down Leonardo Edinburgh claimed responsibility. In an online statement, the group alleged that Leonardo supplies weapons and aircraft to Israel and said their objective was to disrupt operations at the facility.
Images shared on social media appeared to show individuals standing on top of the van following the crash. The three women – aged 31, 34 and 42 – were arrested at the scene and, according to Police Scotland, have now been formally charged under terrorism legislation. They are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday 21 July.
Police Scotland’s Counter Terrorism Unit is leading the investigation. In a statement issued on Friday, the force said it was appealing for information related to two vehicles – the Ford Transit involved in the incident and a white Honda CR-Z recovered from a car park in the Gorgie Road area.
“As part of our investigation, officers are appealing for information to trace the movements of a blue Ford Transit van in the Gorgie Road area on Monday 14 July and prior to the incident on Tuesday 15 July,” the statement said. “They are also keen to trace the movements of a white Honda CR-Z on these dates.”
The force added that anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have dashcam footage from the area is asked to contact police via 101, quoting reference 0416 of 15 July.
Leonardo UK, the Italian-owned defence contractor, has not yet made a public statement regarding the incident. The Edinburgh site is a key hub for the company’s work on international defence programmes, including components for the Eurofighter Typhoon and advanced radar systems used by NATO forces.
The incident marks the latest in a series of direct action protests targeting defence-related facilities in the UK.
Putin’s useless idiots or Hamas’s useless idiots?
Actually could be both, the sentiment is pro Hamas but the funding comes from Russia or Iran
Great news!
#Day36
I’m sad they have been accorded terrorism charges.
These people are just criminal idiots.
Criminal damage – yes
Damage to protected premises space – yes
Harassment of staff – likely to cause alarm/fear – yes
Using vehicle as a weapon – yes
Plenty to charge with and I hope they get long sentences as a deterrent to others.
women drivers 🙂
Good, give them 10 years each…
If they care about Gaza so much, send them there, no passports etc. Bye Bye.
Have the ones who attacked the Brize Norton tankers been charged?.
These groups will keep popping up until such time as the British government starts treating the death of civilians in Gaza with the same seriousness as Ukraine.
Good- alongside the 98 protestors arrested nationally who openly supported Palestine Action- a proscribed terrorist group and a further group of 24 a week ago.
The penalty should be really clear- penalty of jail time, curfew and wearing a tag + having a criminal record for terrorism supporting actions- that’s if you are a British citizen with the right to remain, anyone else- deport to country of origin with clear instructions you return you get arrested, charged and sent back again. For many of these individuals removing their right to remain in our free and democratic society is the biggest penalty they can face.