The company had to temporarily secure its executive building due to the incident. The protesters streamed live on Twitch as they entered Smith’s office, voicing demands for Microsoft to cut its connections with the Israeli government. Along with Hattle and Fameli, former Microsoft employees Vaniya Agrawal, Hossam Nasr, and Joe Lopez were arrested, as well as a former Google employee and another tech worker.

A Microsoft spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed GeekWire that the employees were dismissed for “serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct.” Microsoft declined to offer a direct comment to The Verge.

In response to the arrests, Brad Smith conducted an emergency press event in his office, addressing reporters and a YouTube audience while perched on his desk. During the event, Smith emphasized Microsoft’s dedication to upholding human rights and contractual obligations in the Middle East. The company initiated a probe earlier this month following The Guardian‘s report on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform allegedly being used for surveillance in Palestine.

Previously, Hattle had been detained during protests at Microsoft headquarters, where Redmond police arrested 20 individuals after a demonstration took over a plaza, protesting the company’s contracts with Israel. Protesters established a “Liberated Zone” on campus and defaced a Microsoft sign with red paint.

No Azure for Apartheid, a coalition of current and former Microsoft employees, organized the recent protests. This group aims for Microsoft to sever its ties with the Israeli government and has been involved in a series of protests, with recent activities targeting the offices and homes of Microsoft executives.