Police Arrest After Protestors Cut Vital Fibre Optic Cables in UK Cities

The City of London Police (CoLP) have arrested a 29-year-old man after a climate protest group claimed to have “[disrupted] the wifi systems of hundreds of insurance companies across the UK“, which they achieved by cutting key fibre optic cables in London (similar events are also said to have occurred in Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield).

In a post on Instagram, the relatively new group, calling itself Shut the System, said on Monday that its “activists” were “demanding an immediate end to support for new fossil fuel projects and mandatory transition plans for all clients involved in the fossil fuel industry.”

Some businesses in the affected area(s) are understood to have suffered a significant slowdown in broadband and Ethernet connectivity, which has raised additional questions about the need for greater resilience within those companies. But that’s another story and one that all businesses have to consider, although many of the organisations hit did have an adequate backup in place.

Unfortunately, in recent years, we’ve seen a rise in the number of fixed line and mobile network operators facing attacks against their infrastructure (arson, cable cutting etc.) and often for very different reasons (e.g. disgruntled former staff, anti-5G conspiracy theorists and theft etc.). Now it seems we have one more group to add to that list, but in this case the Police are already making progress.

DCI Kevin Ives, CoLP’s Criminal Investigation Dpt., said (The Guardian):

“A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, following reports of external cabling being damaged under the City of London on Monday 20th January. The man has been bailed with conditions, pending further police investigations.”

Events like this are not victimless crimes and often impact innocent third-parties, such as local residents and unrelated businesses. This is particularly true when it comes to the act of cutting vital communication cables. A single cable will often contain many fibres, each of which can be carrying connectivity to help serve many thousands of premises (homes, hospitals, GPs, restaurants and so forth) – both locally and in areas far beyond the intended target.

Attacks against UK telecoms networks, which are part of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), tend to be considered as a serious crime and one that has, in the recent past, resulted in various individuals being jailed. The people who commit such acts rarely seem to have any regard for the innocent users (residents and businesses) that end up being disrupted by such activity, which can have serious consequences and even threaten life. Credits to forum member father_ted for spotting this development.

Recent Posts