UK police roll out armoured cars 'tried and tested on Palestinians'

London's Metropolitan Police have been spotted trialling new 'SandCat' armoured vehicles across the UK capital - a model developed and tested by the Israeli army in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Footage posted by BBC London shows the vehicles being driven through London as part of a training exercise. The Met confirmed it was preparing officers to operate the SandCats.

"These are specialist armoured vehicles used for high-risk armed policing operations by officers deployed at airports and as a contingency option for use in the most serious public disorder - the like of which we thankfully rarely see," a Met spokesperson told the BBC.

The Met has purchased 18 SandCats to replace its older Jankel models.

In July 2024, The Sun reported that Police Scotland had also acquired SandCat vehicles for £282,000, but kept them in storage for two years.

"The specialist vehicle can be used in a number of scenarios linked to a major incident and improves our options to keep people safe," Police Scotland said. "While it has not yet been deployed to a major incident, it has been used for training purposes and provides additional operational capabilities."

The SandCat is manufactured by Israeli defence company Plasan and was first introduced in 2005. The light armoured vehicle has been widely used by the Israeli army, including in Gaza.

According to Israel Defence, Plasan supplied hundreds of SandCats to the Israeli military following the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023, and even reopened a ballistic armour production line to meet demand.

The report estimated that up to 700 SandCats were in use.

Israeli arms manufacturers have long promoted equipment developed and tested during operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, marketing them abroad as "battle-tested" systems.