A pro-Palestine activist has been convicted of a string of offenses related to a five-month campaign that involved firebombing a McDonald's, two Starbucks locations, and a BBC office in Norwich, England. Martha Goddard, 51, was found guilty this week at Woolwich Crown Court of five counts of criminal damage and two counts of making an explosive substance. She was acquitted of attempting to cause explosions and of attacking a transmitting station.
Goddard constructed homemade incendiary devices, using thermite and igniting them with sparklers, which she deployed between March and July of last year. The devices caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. At the targeted locations, she left behind anti-Israel posters with slogans such as "stop bombing Gaza" and a message calling the BBC "cowards." The posters also featured an inverted red triangle, a symbol associated with Hamas and the pro-Palestine movement.
Police identified Goddard as a suspect after recovering fingerprints from the posters left at the scene. A search of her home uncovered several kilograms of thermite-making substances, bottles prepared for use as incendiary devices, and materials that could be used to make gunpowder. Investigators also found confession letters on her computer. CCTV footage captured Goddard placing and igniting devices at her target locations. A figure believed to be Goddard, wearing a camouflage jacket and woolly hat, was seen on camera during the attacks.
Neighbors described Goddard as "weird" but not previously seen as threatening, although some noted she practiced martial arts with a samurai sword, which reportedly frightened local children. Her campaign involved targeting businesses and public buildings that had become symbols of Western presence and media coverage related to the conflict in Gaza.
Goddard is scheduled to be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on October 16. The judge presiding over the trial had previously advised jurors to make their decisions based on facts rather than personal opinions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the targeted corporations.