Two arrested after van rammed into factory gates

Police were called to the incident outside the Teledyne site in Shipley on Tuesday morning

Two people have been arrested after a van weighted with concrete was driven into security gates at a defence technology factory, police have said.

Group Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the incident at Teledyne in Shipley, near Bradford - which specialises in supplying electronics to the aerospace and defence sectors - saying it was part of a protest against Israel's actions in Gaza.

West Yorkshire Police said two people locked themselves to the concrete and refused to move just before 05:00 GMT on Tuesday.

A 27-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman had since been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage and remained in custody, a force spokesperson said.

Specialist police resources were sent to the site to resolve the incident, they added.

On social media, the protest group said its members' actions were "disrupting the production of crucial parts for Israel's missiles and fighter jets".

The activists were removed by the afternoon.

Israel has occupied the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank since 1967.

In October 2023, gunmen from Hamas – which runs Gaza and is designated a terrorist organisation by the UK government – launched attacks on southern Israel killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

In reprisal, Israel launched air strikes and a ground invasion of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas.

More than 45,000 people have been killed in the Israeli campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

A ceasefire has been in place since earlier this month, with some Israeli hostages being exchanged for Palestinian detainees.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.