Fifth person charged by counter terrorism police for RAF Brize Norton break in after vandals caused £7m worth of damage to two military aircraft
Muhammad Umer Khalid, of no fixed abode, was charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for purposes prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.
The 22-year-old was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) have confirmed.
The appalling incident on June 20 saw activists break into the Oxfordshire air base and spray paint on two RAF Voyager planes, causing £7million worth of damage.
Palestine Action, which has since been proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, accepted responsibility for the break in.
Shocking footage shared by the group showed protesters storming across the RAF runway in Oxfordshire on electric scooters.
The bodycam footage then showed them spraying red paint into the turbine engines of the air-to-air refuelling tankers which the RAF say are 'vital for enhancing the operational reach and flexibility of Britain's military air power'.
Palestine Action claimed to have used repurposed fire extinguishers to spray the paint, while they say they caused further damage with crowbars.
The activists said they sprayed red paint across the runway and left a Palestine flag behind before fleeing the base undetected.
Last month, four people were charged and remanded in custody over the break-in in June. A 41-year-old woman was released on bail, while a man was freed without charge.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 35, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, were remanded in custody.
CTPSE said they had been charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
A 41-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender had been released on bail until September 19, while a 23-year-old man was released without charge.
Brize Norton is the largest RAF base in the country with approximately 5,800 service members, 300 civilian staff and 1,200 contractors.
Voyagers, described as a 'petrol station in the sky', can carry up to 109 tonnes of fuel and are used to refuel fighter and compatible heavy aircraft.
RAF Brize Norton hold a core fleet of nine voyagers, while five others are available for commercial use but can be recalled for military purposes.
The RAF is reportedly planning to send Voyager aircraft to the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates.
One of the Voyagers, which has a Union Jack on its tail, has previously been used as a VIP aircraft to transport prime ministers and Royal Family members to engagements abroad. But Daily Mail understands this was not one of the Voyagers targeted.
Palestine Action claimed they damaged the planes at Brize Norton as it is the base 'where flights leave daily for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus' - the base used for military operations in the Middle East.
Following the shocking incident, the Ministry of Defence said it 'strongly condemns this vandalism of Royal Air Force assets', and said it was working closely with the police.
A spokesperson added: 'The UK's defence estate is vital to our national security and this government will not tolerate those who put that security at risk.
'This Government is taking the strong step of proscribing Palestine Action due to its activities, which are a threat to our national security.'
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer described the raid on the base as both 'disgraceful' and 'an act of vandalism' .
In a post shared on X, the Prime Minister added: 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day.
'It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.'
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'The security breach at Brize Norton is deeply concerning.
'This is not lawful protest, it is politically-motivated criminality.'
'We must stop tolerating terrorist or extremist groups that seek to undermine our society. The full force of the law must come down on those responsible.'
A Palestine Action spokesperson previously said: 'Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US/Israeli fighter jets.
'Britain isn't just complicit, it's an active participant in the Gaza genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.
'By decommissioning two military planes, Palestine Action have directly intervened in the genocide and prevented crimes against the Palestinian people.'
Following the incident, the UK Government moved quickly to ban the group under anti-terror laws, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announcing plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23.
It means being a member of it or supporting it is a criminal offence - punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Ms Cooper stated that the vandalism of the two planes was 'disgraceful' and that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
During a hearing on July 4, Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, asked the High Court to stop the government from classifying the group as a terrorist organisation, pending a potential legal challenge to the decision to proscribe it under the Terrorism Act 2000.
But Mr Justice Chamberlain refused to block it, concluding that the harm which would ensue if interim relief is refused but the claim later succeeds is insufficient to outweigh the strong public interest in maintaining the order in force.'
Ms Ammori's legal team was also denied permission to appeal and was advised to take their case directly to the Court of Appeal.
Following the decision she said her lawyers would seek an 'urgent appeal' to what she labelled a 'dystopian nightmare' at the Court of Appeal.
During the hearing, Raza Husain KC, representing Ms. Ammori, argued for the suspension of what he called the 'ill-considered' and 'authoritarian abuse of statutory power' until a hearing scheduled for around July 21.
Mr Husain told the London court: 'This is the first time in our history that a direct action civil disobedience group, which does not advocate for violence, has been sought to be proscribed as terrorists.'
The barrister said that his client had been 'inspired' by a long history of direct action in the UK, 'from the suffragettes, to anti-apartheid activists, to Iraq war activists'.
Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company Wagner Group.
Another 14 organisations connected with Northern Ireland are also banned under previous legislation, including the IRA and UDA.
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