5 Palestine Action members appear in German court on charges of smashing Elbit site |
Five people appeared in court in Stuttgart, Germany, on Monday, on charges of causing about 1 million euros’ ($1.17 million) worth of damage at the German site of an Israeli defense company, the court said.
News outlets including Stuttgarter Zeitung and broadcaster SWR said the vandalized office belonged to Israeli defense electronics firm Elbit Systems, the latest office of the company to be attacked.
Prosecutors say the defendants, aged 25 to 40, trespassed and shouted pro-Palestinian statements as they smashed office equipment, measuring devices, and windows at the business in the southern city of Ulm, the court added.
According to the charges, the defendants acted as members of anti-Israel organization Palestine Action Germany, which later published videos claiming responsibility for the attack.
The defendants, who were not named, are Irish, British, Spanish, and German, prosecutors said.
Monday’s hearing took place in a high-security facility at the court, officials said. The Stuttgart court has previously said that more than a dozen hearings have been scheduled in the case through the end of July.
Elbit, which has an office in Ulm, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The court did not identify Elbit........