Israel-Hamas war: Two UK women charged for terrorism offences following arrest at London protest

Two women have been charged under the Terrorism Act after images of paragliders were displayed at a pro-Palestine march in central London. The Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges against Heba Alhayey, 29, and Pauline Ankunda, 26, in relation to images of paragliders they are said to have been wearing during the demonstration on October 14.

They are both accused of a single count of carrying or displaying an article to arouse reasonable suspicion that they are supporters of banned organisation Hamas. Militants from the group, banned as a terror organisation by the UK, used paragliders to enter Israel from Gaza on October 7 before killing more than 1,000 Israelis.

The offence they are each accused of is contrary to section 13(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000. They have both been bailed before they appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 10.

Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “Criminal proceedings against the two women are active and they each have the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.

“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.”