An Irish defendant in a September 2025 break‑in at Elbit Systems says he has been kept in near‑isolation, spending about 23 hours a day in his cell, his father told journalists. Five people are on trial in Stuttgart over the action — identified in media coverage as the 'Ulm Five' — and face charges including trespass, criminal damage and membership of a criminal organisation under Section 129 of the German criminal code.

What happened and who's on trial German authorities charged five people over a September 2025 action at Elbit Systems' Stuttgart premises carried out by Palestine Action Germany, court documents show. The group smashed equipment, spray‑painted rooms and posted footage online. The activists say they waited for and called police so they could be detained as an act of civil disobedience. The use of Section 129 in this case has immediate legal consequences: it is the provision applied when prosecutors classify an organisation as a criminal association and allows authorities to seek extended high‑security detention and restrict bail. One defendant is Daniel Tatlow‑Devally, a 32‑year‑old Irish national. He is among the five men being prosecuted under Section 129. Media coverage has identified the group involved as the 'Ulm Five'. Charges, evidence and potential penalties Prosecutors have brought a range of counts: trespass, criminal damage, membership of a criminal organisation and the use of symbols that prosecutors say are connected to Hamas, an organisation Germany designates as a terrorist group. The public prosecutor's office has estimated the damage caused during the break‑in at about €1 million. None of the five defendants have prior criminal convictions, according to material disclosed at the hearing. If convicted on the charges brought against them, the defendants could face up to five years in prison. Detention conditions and legal complaints Since the September incident, Mr Tatlow‑Devally has been held in high‑security detention. His father, Conor Devally, a senior counsel in Ireland, told journalists his son spends most of the day locked in a cell and has very limited contact with the outside world. Mr Devally said his son is kept in his cell for about 23 hours a day and eats his meals there. Access to visitors is tightly controlled, Mr Devally said. He told reporters his son is permitted to see someone for half an hour every two weeks, either by video or in person, and that no one was allowed to visit during the first month. For many meetings the defendant is separated from visitors by a screen and supervised by police and an interpreter. Family letters are subject to review and are routed through the prosecution for translation, which can cause delays of several weeks. At a hearing described by court observers as chaotic, defence lawyers objected to being unable to communicate directly with their clients in the courtroom and to the fact the defendants were held behind a screen rather than sitting with their legal teams. The hearing was closed after protests and made no progress, according to accounts from those attending. Defence position and the activists' rationale The defence has framed the action as civil disobedience aimed at interrupting what the activists describe as Elbit Systems' role supplying weapons systems to the Israel Defence Forces. The group says its aim was to expose and disrupt that supply chain in protest at conduct in Gaza. The defendants posted footage of the incident online and maintain they wanted to hand themselves over to police. Prosecutors treat the action as criminal conduct linked to an organisation they regard as a threat. The use of Section 129 has practical consequences for the accused: it allows authorities to deny bail and keep the defendants in high security.

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Conor Devally said his son spends about 23 hours a day in his cell and has very limited contact with the outside world.

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