On Sunday, London's Metropolitan Police apprehended six individuals on suspicion of planning to disrupt the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as it prepared to open for trading on Monday.

The investigation was initiated after the Daily Express newspaper provided information to the Metropolitan Police on Friday.

Police reported that members of the Palestine Action group planned to disrupt the stock exchange on Monday morning, aiming to vandalize it and hinder its trading activities. However, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has been operating without a physical trading floor since 1986, conducting all equity transactions electronically. Despite the alleged intentions, UK markets operated normally on Monday.

Palestine Action, a UK-based activist organization, focuses on hampering the activities of arms manufacturers that provide weapons to the Israeli government.

In a post on X the group said that the LSE raised “billions of pounds for the apartheid state of Israel” and “actively” boasted about its support for Israeli businesses.

The London Metropolitan Police, in collaboration with the Merseyside Police in Liverpool, detained six individuals on Sunday. They were apprehended on allegations of conspiring to commit criminal damage, according to a statement from the London police. The statement also noted that all six individuals were still being held in custody.

A post on X by Palestine Action on Monday stated that five out of six detained activists have been set free. Meanwhile, one activist faces charges and is expected to soon make a court appearance.

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas said: “These are significant arrests. We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully.”

“I’m grateful to the Express for their willingness to provide the information gleaned from their own investigation. It was instrumental in helping us intervene successfully. Having only been provided with the material on Friday afternoon, we had limited time to act.”