Moog 4

activism

Moog 4  link ()
File:Moog 4.jpeg
Membership	Hisham Alkhamesi,Iain Evans,Frank Sherman,Hana Yun-Stevens
Palestinian Martyrs for Justice released on bail

The Moog 4 (Iain Evans, Hisham Alkhamesi, Frank Sherman and Hana Yun-Stevens) are members of the Palestinian Martyrs for Justice activist group. They were arrested on 26 August 2025 and charged with causing criminal damage at a factory owned by Moog Inc., a US aerospace firm in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands of England.

Evans, from Shipley, West Yorkshire; Alkhamesi, of Hinckley, Lincolnshire; Sherman, of Hassocks, West Sussex; and Stevens, of south-west London, were remanded into custody for six months pending trial. A provisional three-week trial was set for Birmingham Crown Court from 8 June 2026 before a High Court judge.

Background

Israel has been operating the Leonardo M-346 fast jet trainer since 2013, and its "Flying Tiger" squadron currently operates 30 aircraft at Hatzerim Airbase, the largest fleet of M-346 fast jets in the world. According to company promotional literature, Moog Wolverhampton designed the complete Primary Flight Control Actuation system for this aircraft and is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supplier for production aircraft.

In November 2019, Moog announced that it had been awarded contracts for the Primary Flight Control Actuation System, the Leading Edge Flap Drive System and the Wingfold Actuation System on the F-35 fighter. The initial three year contract was worth over $400 million, approximately $135 million per annum, with production split between Moog's Wolverhampton and Elma, New York facilities.

In November 2024, Campaign Against Arms Trade cited Moog Wolverhampton Limited as one of a number of UK arms companies that was involved in the supply chain for Israel's F-35 fighter jet programme. The F-35 had been implicated in a number of airstrikes carried out in Gaza resulting in civilian casualties, in particular the Al-Mawasi airstrike which resulted in over 80 civilian casualties, of whom between 19-40 were killed.

On 2 July 2025, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, published the report "From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide" (A/HRC/59/23), which examined the role of corporations involved in Israel's military and security sectors. The report identified a number of major defence companies, including Lockheed Martin, Leonardo and Elbit Systems, and called on states and businesses to review their responsibilities under international law. Campaign groups opposing Moog's activities cited the report and the wider debate surrounding military supply chains as justification for continued protests at the Wolverhampton facility.

In July 2025, investigative outlets Declassified UK and The Ditch reported that Moog Aircraft Group had sent multiple shipments from its Wolverhampton facility to Hatzerim Airbase in Israel. According to the report, the consignments were addressed to the M-346 "Lavi" trainer aircraft programme, which is used by the Israeli Air Force to train pilots for frontline aircraft including the F-16 and F-35. The report noted that the UK government's September 2024 suspension of certain arms export licences to Israel did not extend to trainer aircraft, and argued that this distinction enabled continuing support for Israel's pilot training infrastructure.

Following this increased media attention, Moog worked closely with Staffordshire Police regarding security at its Wolverhampton facility. According to evidence filed in subsequent court proceedings, police officers conducted multiple visits to the site during July 2025 to review security arrangements, assess protest-related risks and advise on additional protective measures. The site was subsequently subject to regular police patrols.

On 21 August 2025, more than 700 British business leaders, founders and professionals signed an open letter organised by Business Leaders for Peace calling on the UK government to take further steps to prevent atrocities in Gaza and to uphold its obligations under international law. The initiative reflected growing engagement by figures from the business community in debates surrounding arms exports, corporate responsibility and the conflict in Gaza.

Moog 4 protest

In August 2025, the Moog 4 were arrested following an action at Moog's Wolverhampton facility. Prosecutors alleged that the defendants had entered the site and caused damage to property, including to roof structures and skylights.

The protesters, "Palestinian Martyrs' Justice", wore T-shirts bearing the photos of four Palestinian civilians who had been killed in the conflict in Gaza - journalist Hossam Shabat, academic Refaat Alareer, surgeon Adnan al-Bursh and 16-year old double-amputee basketball player Raghad Al-Jabri. Three of the four victims had been killed in airstrikes, which the protesters said that they were trying to prevent by taking direct action. Refaat Alareer's poem, "If I Must Die", was read aloud to the jury by one of the defendants in their closing statement in the June 2026 criminal trial.

The Moog 4 were charged with criminal damage of over £5,000 and remanded in custody for six months pending trial. Prosecutors characterised the incident as criminal damage.

The incident resulted in serious disruption to the factory's activities, with operations closing for several days, and Moog Wolverhampton's exports of military aircraft components to Israel reportedly interrupted for over three weeks until recommencing on 19 September 2025. Subsequent monthly shipment volumes from Moog Wolverhampton to Israel appear to have been operating at less than half the levels observed before 26 August 2025, and have experienced significant delays in transit.

Civil injunction

In September and October 2025, Moog obtained a High Court injunction against “persons unknown” in relation to protest activity at its United Kingdom sites. Press reports and witness statements linked the protests to allegations of the supply of components for military aircraft used by Israel, principally the F-35 and M-346. In her witness statement to the High Court, Elwira Kelly, Moog's General Counsel, stated that she does "not accept the characterisation of Moog's business activities in the article." The injunction restricted trespass, obstruction of access, and interference with operations at several facilities.

Ms Kelly also stated in her Third Witness statement to the High Court that the Crown Prosecution Service intends to charge the defendants with a "terrorism connection", an aggravating factor in sentencing and the first time in UK legal history that such a "terrorism connection" had been applied to a single charge of criminal damage.

Birmingham Crown Court

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Moog 4 are bailed, face possible re-trial

The trial of the Moog 4 began at Birmingham Crown Court on 4 June 2026 under Mr Justice Wall, shortly after convictions were secured in a separate criminal damage case relating to the Filton 4 protests at an Elbit Systems facility in Filton, Bristol. In that case, all legal defences relating to "prevention of harm" were removed by the judge, Mr Justice Johnson, and the defence was not allowed to introduce any evidence relating to Elbit Systems, its operations, or the conflict in Gaza. Four of the six defendants were convicted of criminal damage with two being acquitted, and Mr Justice Johnson subsequently ruled on 12 June 2026 that the offences had a "terrorist connection" for sentencing purposes, despite no terrorism charges having been brought. He imposed custodial sentences ranging from five years and eight months to eight years on each of the defendants.

Writing in The Guardian after the sentencing, barrister and human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson KC argued that the application of terrorism-related sentencing provisions raised concerns about open justice and the role of juries. Robertson wrote that the defendants had been convicted only of criminal damage, while the terrorism connection had neither been charged nor put before the jury, describing the resulting sentences as punishment for a "quasi-terrorist offence" that had "never been charged, never put to the jury, and never proven by the prosecution". Maud Dromgoole, a juror in the first Filton trial, said that the application of the terrorism connection without the jury’s knowledge is not “in the spirit of letting the jury decide”. She added that the state was "manipulating the law" to make examples of the defendants.

Investigative newspaper Private Eye also alleged that according to Freedom of Information requests sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the CPS acknowledged consulting with representatives of the Israeli government, armed forces or security services between January 2024 and October 2025, dates spanning both the Filton and Moog 4 protest incidents. The CPS refused to divulge further information regarding these communications, citing "prejudice to live criminal investigations."

Following the public statements made by Moog's General Counsel, concerns were raised in the press before the trial that the Moog 4 defendants might face identical secret "terrorism connection" charges and that similar restrictions might be imposed on the introduction of defence evidence relating to Moog and its activities, without the jury being informed of either of these facts. Under normal criminal damage sentencing guidelines, defendants typically face 18 months in custody. A "terrorism connection" allows the judge to impose a sentence of up to 10 years in custody, with increased time before being eligible for parole and more stringent licence conditions upon release.

The four defendants admitted participating in the action and stated that they had targeted the facility because they believed it supplied components for military aircraft used by Israel in Gaza. Defendant Iain Evans stated that the group had chosen a bank holiday for the action as there would be no night shift and "we didn't want to potentially cause harm to anyone".

According to evidence shown to the court, the group wore T-shirts bearing the names of Palestinians killed during the conflict, and argued that their objective was to disrupt production in order to prevent further loss of life. Evans, a former aerospace industry employee, told the jury that he had "held F-35 parts for Moog in my hands" and that "just in time" nature of aerospace supply chains meant that the intention was to disrupt the factory's exports for as long as possible because they believed this would save lives.

On 18 June 2026, after more than 17 hours of deliberation and a direction from Mr Justice Wall that he would accept a majority decision, the jury failed to return a verdict on which ten or more jurors could agree. All of the four defendants were immediately released on bail and the CPS was expected to decide on whether it seeks a retrial by 3 July 2026. Following the hearing, supporters and defendants gathered outside Birmingham Crown Court and observed a one-minute silence in memory of those killed in Gaza.