British police are investigating a string of nighttime vandalism incidents at private homes linked to defence-industry employees after a group calling itself The List claimed responsibility online. Counter-terrorism officers are assisting local forces, and Leonardo UK said it is supporting a targeted engineer while cooperating with investigators.
What The List claims
The group publishes statements and videos on a website registered abroad, according to UK news reports. It says it compiled names and addresses through “research, hacking, whistleblowers and leaks,” and warns staff at companies it accuses of aiding Israel’s military to quit or “risk a visit.”
In recent weeks The List has claimed attacks on properties tied to executives and technical staff, not only senior directors whose names appear on corporate filings. That shift — from factory gates to family driveways — has alarmed security officials who compare it to past animal-rights campaigns against laboratory suppliers.
Confirmed incidents
Police Scotland said it is investigating two reports of damage to homes and vehicles on the morning of Sunday, 11 October — one in Dunfermline and another in South Queensferry, near Edinburgh. Video circulated online appears to show a masked person spraying paint on cars and a house; inquiries remain open.
In Fleet, Hampshire, officers responded on 10 October to reports that red paint was thrown across a house front and two car tyres were damaged in the early hours. Local media link that case to an executive at Ultra Intelligence & Communications, which supplies communications gear used in defence programmes.
The List described one Scottish target as a “key engineer” at Leonardo UK’s Edinburgh-area operations, which produce aerospace components and targeting systems used on Western fighters.
Corporate and police response
Leonardo said the safety of employees is its “absolute priority” and that it is providing support to the individual affected. The company added it is assisting counter-terrorism police with an ongoing investigation.
Hampshire police confirmed inquiries continue in Fleet. National counter-terrorism units often coordinate when multiple regions report ideologically motivated damage, though police have not publicly labeled the spree terrorism charges at this stage.
Escalation beyond plant protests
Pro-Palestinian direct-action groups in Britain have previously focused on manufacturing sites and arms fairs. Targeting mid-level engineers at home raises new duty-of-care issues for firms that must balance transparency with staff safety.
Defence contractors are reviewing travel patterns and social-media exposure for employees whose roles are sensitive but not public-facing. Ministers have not yet scheduled a Commons statement, but home-affairs reporters expect briefings if further attacks are claimed.
What happens next
Investigators will trace how The List obtained addresses that are not on public registers — a line of inquiry that could involve computer-misuse offences as well as criminal damage. Prosecutors would need to identify suspects behind the masks shown in posted footage.
For now, police are treating the episodes as live criminal investigations with counter-terror support, while The List’s website continues to threaten further “actions” against what it calls complicit defence firms.