Sean Middlebrough, 34, absconded after being temporarily released to attend his brother’s wedding during a trial over the 6 August 2024 raid on Elbit Systems’ Filton factory. A bench warrant has been issued and police suspect he may have left the country. Middlebrough was the only defendant convicted; the jury failed to reach verdicts for the other seven, who face a retrial set for 19 June 2028. Prosecutors said the group planned reconnaissance, equipment purchases and intended to inflict "the maximum amount of damage," with the raid causing roughly £1.2m in damage.
Palestine Action Activist Flees After Wedding Leave — Sole Conviction in Elbit Raid
A warrant has been issued for Sean Middleborough's arrest, amid speculation that he may have fled the UK - Getty Images/Guy Smallman
A Palestine Action supporter convicted for his role in planning an attack on a weapons factory has absconded after being granted temporary release to attend his brother’s wedding.
Sean Middlebrough, 34, from Liverpool, was one of eight people charged over a coordinated raid on Elbit Systems’ factory in Filton, near Bristol, which took place on 6 August 2024. Elbit Systems is a defence manufacturer linked to Israel.
Middlebrough absconded from custody during a two-month trial that began in June after being allowed three days’ leave to attend the family wedding. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest and there is speculation he may have left the country; police enquiries are ongoing.
The trial continued in his absence. Middlebrough was the only defendant convicted in respect of the Elbit raid; jurors were discharged after failing to reach verdicts for the other seven defendants, who now face a retrial listed for 19 June 2028 at Woolwich Crown Court.
Prosecutors told the court that, while none of the eight had been inside the factory at the moment of the attack, the group’s preparations included drawing up equipment lists, undertaking reconnaissance and procuring tools and weapons. The court heard the prosecution’s case that each defendant was "equally responsible" for planning and enabling an operation intended to cause "the maximum amount of damage" and to disrupt the site for as long as possible.
On the day of the raid, other Palestine Action activists drove an old prison van into the factory entrance and caused damage to equipment inside; losses were estimated at about £1.2m. Middlebrough was accused of transferring £890 to another person to buy kit for the operation, including head torches, rucksacks, sledgehammers, hammers, safety goggles, helmets and a bolt cutter. Prosecutors said some members of the group travelled to Bristol, using two booked rendezvous points—a campsite and an Airbnb—arriving on 4 August and leaving in the hours after the raid.
Judge Patrick Field told the court he had set a retrial for the co-defendants on 19 June 2028 but was "not satisfied" with that date and would seek an earlier listing.
Separately, in an earlier trial this year, four Palestine Action activists were jailed after being found to have been in the van that rammed the Elbit site. Middlebrough remains wanted; anyone with information is asked to contact police. The legal proceedings for the remaining defendants will continue at the scheduled retrial.
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