Palestine Action Plans Sabotage on UK Air Bases Used for Ukrainian Pilots Training

The pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, whose members recently infiltrated a British air base, is planning a series of sabotage attacks targeting facilities used to train Ukrainian military pilots, according to The Telegraph.

Journalists accessed an online seminar in which the group’s leaders outlined a list of targets following the recent break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where activists damaged several Royal Air Force aircraft.

Slides presented during the meeting listed three British air bases: RAF Cranwell and RAF Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire, and RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales. Activists linked their campaign to the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems UK, claiming the sites are connected to its operations.

Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing basic flight training at RAF Cranwell. In October 2024, it was reported that a group of pilots completed the Elementary Flying Training course using Grob Tutor T2 aircraft.

Among other potential targets mentioned was the UAV Tactical Systems facility in Leicester, also affiliated with Elbit. Activists discussed plans to infiltrate the sites and cause damage using tools such as sledgehammers. The group also promoted the creation of autonomous cells capable of covertly entering military facilities.

During the meeting, organizers described the group’s diversity, saying it includes participants ranging from kindergarten teachers to surgeons, aged 18 to 80. One speaker told prospective recruits they would be expected to “make sacrifices for the cause.”

The group ramped up its recruitment campaign shortly before the UK government announced plans to designate it a terrorist organization, alongside Hamas, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Palestine Action has been working to establish a decentralized structure to avoid operational paralysis in the event of arrests. New members are directed to use the encrypted messaging app Signal, where they are then assigned to individual cells.

“By being security-conscious and working in small groups, we can make it harder for the authorities to respond to individual actions, while ensuring the movement can grow even under hostile conditions,” said co-founder Huda Ammori.

Ammori, 31, was born in Bolton to a Palestinian father and an Iraqi mother. She holds a degree in international business and finance from the University of Manchester.

Earlier this week in Belgium, pro-Palestinian activists broke into a defense company and damaged military equipment intended for shipment to Ukraine.