UK government to ban Palestine Action ‘extremist criminal group' after activists break into military base
Britain's government said Monday it will ban the pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws after the group's members broke into a military base and vandalized two planes last week.
The measure means it will be a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, with a maximum of 14 years in prison.
It came as protesters in support of Palestine Action clashed with police during a demonstration in central London.
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4 The measure means it will be a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, with a maximum of 14 years in prison.
AP
Officials said two of the group's members entered the Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton on Wednesday and damaged two planes with red paint. The group released video footage appearing to show one of the activists spraying the paint into a jet's turbine engines.
The group alleged that Britain was continuing to 'send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel U.S./Israeli fighter jets,' and condemned the country as 'an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.'
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4 It came as protesters in support of Palestine Action clashed with police during a demonstration in central London.
AFP via Getty Images
4 The group alleged that Britain was continuing to 'send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel U.S./Israeli fighter jets.'
Tayfun Salci/ZUMA / SplashNews.com
The base incident was being investigated by counter-terror police.
Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley described Palestine Action as an 'organized extremist criminal group,' while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the protest at the airbase was the latest in the group's 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage.'
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She said the group's recent actions, including an attack against a defense factory in Glasgow in 2022, have resulted in damage that runs into millions of pounds.
In March, Palestine Action targeted one of U.S. President Donald Trump's golf resorts in Scotland, painting 'Gaza is Not For Sale' in giant letters on the lawn in response to his proposal to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population.
4 The group's recent actions, including an attack against a defense factory in Glasgow in 2022, have resulted in damage that runs into millions of pounds.
Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire / SplashNews.com
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The government said a draft order will be laid in Parliament next week. Lawmakers still need to approve it.
Britain's government has proscribed about 80 organizations, including Hamas and al-Qaida, and far-right groups such as National Action.
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Associated Press
12 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Status of ceasefire unclear after Iranian missile barrage strikes Israel after a first deadline
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' soon after Iran launched a retaliatory limited missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative on Tuesday as an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel after a first deadline for the proposal. The Iranian barrages sent Israelis hurrying into bomb shelters as the sun rose, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, Israel's Magen David Adom rescue services said. Israel has yet to acknowledge Trump's proposal, which gives Israel more time to potentially strike back though Iran on its state television announced an overall ceasefire had begun at 7:30 a.m. local time. The barrage damaged at least three densely packed residential buildings in the city of Beersheba, police said. First responders said they retrieved four bodies from one building and were searching for more. Outside, the shells of burned out cars littered the streets. Broken glass and rubble covered the area. Hundreds of emergency workers gathered to search for anyone else trapped in the buildings. Police said some people were injured even while inside their apartments' reinforced safe rooms, which are meant to withstand rockets and shrapnel but not direct hits from ballistic missiles. The direct hit in the largest city in southern Israel came just days after the city's hospital sustained significant damage in a missile strike. The Israeli military said people could leave bomb shelters but cautioned the public to stay close to shelter for the coming hours. Trump says ceasefire is in effect Trump's announcement that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' came soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites. The U.S. was warned by Iran in advance, and there were no casualties. Trump's announcement on Truth Social said the ceasefire beginning about midnight Washington time would bring an 'Official END' to the war. Israel doesn't confirm ceasefire but appears to pause strikes Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. in Tehran. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Iranian cities until shortly before that time. Under the Trump plan, Israel was to halt its attacks on Iran by 1:30 p.m. Tehran time. There's been no report of Israel launching attacks against Iran since early Tuesday morning. Israel did not immediately acknowledge any ceasefire, but there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. in Tehran. Heavy Israeli strikes continued in Iranian cities until shortly before that time. The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump's ceasefire statement and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. 'As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X. 'However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.' His message was posted at 4:16 a.m. Tehran time. Araghchi added: 'The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.' Writing over an hour after the first phase of the tentative ceasefire, which called for Iran to halt its attacks, Trump added: 'THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!' Trump describes conflict as '12 Day War' Trump gave the conflict between Israel and Iran a name: the '12 Day War.' That recalls the 1967 Mideast war, known by some as the 'Six Day War,' in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Trump's reference carries emotional weight for the Arab world, particularly Palestinians. In the 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Though Israel later gave the Sinai back to Egypt, it still holds the other territories. Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire, according to a senior White House official who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels. The White House has maintained that the Saturday bombing helped get the Israelis to agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender. Attacks from Iran forces temporary closure of Israel's skiesIsrael's Airports Authority said Iran's barrage forced them to close the country's airspace to emergency flights for several hours. Some flights were forced to circle over the Mediterranean Sea, according to Israeli media. Israel's airports have been closed since the war with Iran began, but a handful of emergency flights started arriving and departing over the past few days. By early Tuesday, Qatar Airways resumed its flights after Qatar shut down its airspace over the Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base. Flight-tracking data showed commercial aircraft again flying in Qatari airspace, signaling Doha believed the threat on the energy-rich nation had passed. Conflict has killed hundreds In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 974 people and wounded 3,458 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 387 civilians and 268 security force personnel. The U.S. has evacuated some 250 American citizens and their immediate family members from Israel by government, military and charter flights that began over the weekend, a State Department official said. There are roughly 700,000 American citizens, most of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, believed to be in Israel. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
UPI
14 minutes ago
- UPI
Trump announces Iran, Israel cease-fire is 'now in effect'
1 of 6 | Protesters march against U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday. Late Monday afternoon Eastern time, President Donald Trump announced a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 23 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump early Tuesday announced a cease-fire between Israel and Iran was in effect, seven hours after he announced plans for the truce, half a day after Iran struck a U.S. military base in Qatar and 11 days after Israel's first airstrikes. After his 6 p.m. Monday truce plans, Trump posted on Truth Social after 1 a.m. EDT: "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!" On Tuesday morning in Iran and Israel, media in both countries reported the cease-fire began after strikes were reported on both sides. Earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social that the war pause would take effect just after midnight on the U.S. East Coast, with the war slated to officially end a day later. The U.S. president said there are two 12-hour cease-fire periods, starting with Iran and then Israel. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his nation would stop fighting if Israel stops strikes, posting on X: "The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4 a.m. [8 p.m. EDT[." Israel hadn't confirmed the cease-fire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was meeting with his security cabinet, a source told CNN. "During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL." Trump wrote. "On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, 'THE 12 DAY WAR'. This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!" Trump later told NBC News in an interview that "I think the cease-fire is unlimited. It's going to go forever." Trump said he doesn't believe Israel and Iran "will ever be shooting at each other again." And in a follow-up post on Truth Social at 10:18 p.m., Trump wrote: "Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, "PEACE!" I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures. They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH. The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!" Trump and his U.S. Vice President JD Vance negotiated with top Qatari leaders, who took the proposal to Iran, a diplomat told NBC News and CNN. Trump spoke with Netanyahu and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. "We were actually working on that just as I left the White House to come over here," Vance told Fox News. "So that's good news, that the president was able to get that across the finish line." Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also is Trump's National Security adviser, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff negotiated the terms, CNN reported. The United States entered the war early Sunday with B-2 bomber airstrikes on three nuclear sites two days ago in an effort to present Iran from having an atomic bomb. The seven planes took 18 hours to fly from Missouri to Iran. Decoys also flew west to Guam. After Trump's announcement, Israel military told residents in the Tehran neighborhoods of Mehran and District 6 that it will carry out operations there. And Iran warned people in the Ramat Gan suburb of Tel Aviv to evacuate, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency. A residential building in southern Israel took a "direct hit" from an Iranian missile strike early Tuesday in the city of Beer Sheva , according to Israel's emergency services, Magen David Alom. At least three people were killed and six others were being treated with light to moderate injuries,. Before Trump's announcement, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted on X: "Those who know the Iranian people and their history know that the Iranian nation isn't a nation that surrenders." It was his first comments since U.S. struck the nation. Iran strikes major U.S. base Iran retaliated though it gave the United States advance notice it would strike the U.S. airbase in Qatar. Qatar's defense ministry said its air defenses "successfully" intercepted the missiles, and there were no deaths or injuries. The U.S. also used Patriots to stop the missiles. The base in Doha was attacked "by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran," a U.S. defense official told CNN. "At this time, there are no reports of U.S. casualties," the official said. "We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide more information as it becomes available." Iran's Armed Forces said they "targeted the Al Udaid base in Qatar with destructive and forceful missiles," according to a statement obtained by The New York Times. "The Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on Almighty God and the faithful, proud people of Iran, will never leave any aggression against its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or national security unanswered," the statement read. Iran said it used the same number of bombs the U.S. used to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, the secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said. The seven B-2's dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators. U.S. Tomahawk missiles also were used. Trump thanked Iran for giving advance notice of the airstrikes. "Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "There have been 14 missiles fired - 13 were knocked down, and 1 was 'set free,' because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction. I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their "system," and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE." Qatar called the attack "a flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace." "We affirm that the state of Qatar reserves the right to respond directly, proportionate to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with international law," Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said in a statement Monday. Video by CNN shows burning debris falling next to a highway in Qatar after Iranian missiles fired at US base Al-Udeid were intercepted. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, which is close to Qatar and where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is headquartered. In addition to Qatar, United Arab Emrites, Kuwait and Iraq closed their airspace. But they later were reopened. Airspace remains closed in Iran but flights resumes in Israel on Monday. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine were in the Situation Room, a White House official told CNN. The New York Times reported loud booms were heard in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Lights were going upward, apparently part of a missile defense system, and some objects were seen falling to earth. The base, which is heavily fortified, has been on high alert in the past few days for Iranian retaliatory attack after missiles targeted nuclear facilities early Sunday local time. The base is the headquarters of U.S. Central Command and has 10,000 military and civilian personnel. Non-sheltered American planes were moved from the base, according to a satellite image taken Thursday that shows tarmacs nearly empty. Also, all U.S. Navy ships deployed at the base Bahrain left port last week. The U.S. has two aircraft carriers in the region -- the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nomitz -- and the USS Ford, the newest carrier in the 11-ship fleet, will deploy from Norfolk Va., this week. Destroyers are part of the strike group. The State Department has also begun organizing departure flights from Israel, and Americans can leave through Jordan via land crossings. Approximately 250 U.S. citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members departed Israel on U.S.-facilitated flights, a State Department official said Monday. The United States has not fought Iran since the B-2 bombers' attacks. Israeli attacks Israel's military targeted Iran's Evin prison in Tehran where dissidents and political prisoners are held. France's foreign minister condemned the strikes on the prison, which houses two French nationals. "The strike aimed at Evin Prison in Tehran put in danger two of our nationals, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, hostages for the past three years. It's inacceptable," Jean-Noël Barrot said in a post on X. The Israeli strikes on Tehran also damaged the main power lines in the northern part of Iran's capital, according to the Iranian government-affiliated Mehr news agency. The area has more than 1 million people. In Vienna, Rafael Grossi, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, warned on Monday at an emergency meeting in Vienna that "violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels" if Iran, Israel and the United States do not find a pathway to diplomacy.
Associated Press
17 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Photos of the aftermath of Iranian missile strikes in Israel as ceasefire status remains unclear
Israeli soldiers and rescue teams searched for survivors in the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by a deadly Iranian missile strike Tuesday. Others took shelter in an underground parking garage and metro station as a precaution against possible strikes. The barrage came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
