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Protesters blocked roads outside Capital One’s Tysons headquarters on Tuesday morning, disrupting commuter traffic while demanding that the financial company end its involvement in a $90 million loan to Elbit Systems.
The Jan. 13, 2026, demonstration was organized by the Eject Elbit campaign. Organizers said the Arlington-based U.S. operation of the Israeli defense company supplies technology to the Israeli military and federal immigration agencies.
Kira, an Eject Elbit organizer, said the group escalated to a blockade after earlier protests at Capital One bank branches and Capital One Arena received no response. The loan is scheduled for renewal in April, Kira said.
Another organizer, Cassian, said activists have also demonstrated outside Elbit’s U.S. headquarters in Arlington.
Capital One and several other creditors—including Wells Fargo, Bank of America and a Bank of Montreal subsidiary—provided the $90 million loan to Elbit Systems in 2021.
Elbit supplies weapons, drones and surveillance systems to the Israeli military. The company also helped construct the barrier separating parts of the West Bank, prompting divestment campaigns that have led several European funders and MIT to sever ties.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, protests over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians have also targeted Elbit’s Arlington office building, where demonstrators have staged actions and committed vandalism.
Elbit’s U.S. government clients include Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company provides surveillance technology used in domestic operations and security equipment for the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Activists in Raleigh, North Carolina, successfully pressured the company to close a subsidiary facility that produced surveillance equipment last fall.
Organizers said Tuesday’s protest was intended in part to draw attention to Elbit’s work with immigration authorities following the fatal shootings of Renee Good in Minneapolis and Keith Porter in Los Angeles the previous week. ICE agents shot both people, according to organizers, and the agent who shot Porter was off duty at the time.
“This is what Capital One is getting behind,” Cassian said after accusing ICE of killing Good, Porter and others during raids and detentions.
Demonstrators gathered near Route 123 and Capital One Tower Road with a banner reading, “Capital One: Stop Capitalizing on Genocide.” Others stood on ladders and stretched a 50-foot “Divest from Death” banner across the intersection of Capital One Tower and Capital One Drive.
Cassian acknowledged that the blockade inconvenienced Capital One workers and other morning commuters but argued that disruption was needed to attract attention after less intrusive protests failed to produce a response. The organizer said blocking traffic could generate publicity and show employees what activists believe the company is supporting through the loan.
Multiple Fairfax County police vehicles responded. Officers monitored the demonstration and directed traffic around the area.
The blockade ended after about an hour. Police issued organizers trespass citations that indefinitely prohibit them from entering Capital One property.
Capital One and Elbit Systems were contacted for comment.
Eject Elbit is also urging customers to boycott Capital One and close their credit-card or bank accounts until the company drops the loan. Cassian directed customers to the campaign’s website for guidance on closing accounts without harming their credit.