Five defendants face trial for their alleged roles in a co-ordinated break-in at an Israel-linked arms factory near Bristol, in which prosecutors say activists used weapons to intimidate security staff.
The group is accused of being part of a "black team" tasked with subduing guards at Elbit Systems in Filton, according to the prosecution case heard in court. The defendants allegedly wielded whips, hammers and kebab skewers to keep security personnel at bay.
The prosecution alleges the break-in involved a second group, a "red team", which wore red jumpsuits and entered the factory to damage equipment including drones. The black team, prosecutors say, wore black jumpsuits and had the specific job of overwhelming security to allow the red team access.
The activists belong to Palestine Action, a group that has targeted what it describes as Israel-linked facilities in the UK. Elbit Systems is an Israeli defence contractor.
The court heard details of the alleged weapons used during the incident. The specificity of the planning, prosecutors argue, shows this was a deliberate operation to breach the factory's security with designated roles for different teams.
The case centres on whether the five defendants participated in this organised scheme and, if so, what their individual roles were. The prosecution case rests partly on the allegation that the weapons brandished, including the improvised use of kebab skewers, were deployed to threaten and intimidate security staff.
The trial is ongoing. Defence positions are not yet detailed in the available court reporting.