Pro-Palestinian activists charged with damaging planes at a UK air base are held in custody

LONDON (AP) — Four pro-Palestinian protesters were held in custody Thursday after their first appearance in a London court on charges they damaged two Royal Air Force planes with red paint and crowbars.

The charges came after the group Palestine Action said its members entered the RAF base in Brize Norton on June 20 and spray painted the engines of two Voyager jets used for air-to-air refueling. They also damaged the jets with crowbars, according to the group, which released video footage of the incident.

The vandalism caused about 7 million pounds ($9.5 million) of damage, police said.

The four, all between the ages of 22 and 35, are charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the U.K., counterterror police said in a statement. The Crown Prosecution Service will argue that the offenses have a “terrorist connection,” police said.

The group did not enter pleas in Westminster Magistrates’ Court. They were scheduled to appear July 18 at the Central Criminal Court.

Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for a series of incidents targeting Israeli defense contractors in the U.K. and other sites linked to the war in Gaza.

Following the incident at RAF Brize Norton, the government introduced legislation to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.

The measure, which would make it a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison for belonging to or supporting the group, is set to become law after the House of Lords passed the legislation on Thursday.

However, the group is going to court Friday to try to block the law from taking effect.

Palestine Action said its protests are designed to end international support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

Planes from Brize Norton, 70 miles (112 kilometers) northwest of London, regularly fly to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, Britain’s main air base for operations in the Middle East.