Counter Terrorism officers arrest three woman after van smashes into 'weapons factory'

Three women have been arrested under the Terrorism Act following an incident where pro-Palestine activists crashed a van into the border fence of a defence company accused of supplying parts for Israel's F-35 jets.

The incident took place early on Monday near Crewe Road North in Edinburgh, where the major defence manufacturer Leonardo is based. Police had been situated in a nearby Morrisons supermarket car park prior to the fence smash, with five vans of riot officers stationed in the area.

After the van was driven into the fence, protesters could be seen climbing on top of it and displaying a Palestine flag. Three women, aged 31, 34, and 42, were arrested at the scene following swift response from police.

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Specialist officers wearing protective helmets and harnesses can be seen climbing onto the roof of the vehicle in the moments before the arrest. This latest action by pro-Palestinian groups follows the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group, after activists targeted military installations in the UK associated with the ongoing war on Gaza's civilian population.

The authorities later verified that these individuals were detained under the Terrorism Act 2000 after the vehicle collided with an external barrier. Police Scotland's Counter Terrorism Unit is leading an investigation into the incident.

Authorities are approaching the scenario as a deliberate act while maintaining that there's no ongoing risk to the general populace, reports the Daily Record.

The targeted defence manufacturer has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian groups before for allegedly producing equipment used by the Israeli forces against civilian populations in Gaza - where at least 58,000 residents have been killed by Israeli forces since the October 7 attacks in 2023.

An onlooker described seeing officers "cutting into a van". He commented: "There's loads of police in helmets and they've surrounded a van parked up against the fence of the factory. It looks like they're trying to get into the van with an electric saw."

In the previous December, Leonardo's establishment situated in Edinburgh's Crewe Road North experienced two bouts of demonstrations within a week.

The protesters alleged that the factory was producing components for Israeli F-35 fighter jets, stating their intention to halt Leonardo's operations to prevent "the production of Palestinian slaughter".

A group called Shut Down Leonardo, which alleges the company's involvement in manufacturing parts for Israel's air force, said in a post: "We're taking action to shut down Leonardo's weapons factory in Edinburgh," while sharing images of the van rammed into Leonardo's fence..

On December 12, the group positioned themselves outside the factory with banners proclaiming "stop arming genocide." Several windows at the facility were also daubed with red paint.

At the time, a spokesperson for Leonardo maintained that the company does not 'supply equipment' directly to Israel.

This was echoed in a supplied statement after the van rammed into Leonardo's fence in Edinburgh. It reads: "Leonardo UK is subject to UK government export controls and does not supply equipment direct to Israel.

"The right to peaceful protest is an important principle in our society, however, aggressive and violent activity should have no place in protest.

"The intimidation of our people, who work hard to support the security and defence of the UK, is not acceptable.

"Our main customer is the UK Armed Forces. We are proud to manufacture technology that supports our service personnel and helps keep them safe. Their dedication underpins the freedom on which our society is based."

A spokesperson for Police Scotland stated: "Three women, aged 31, 34 and 42, have been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 after a van was driven into an external fence of a business premises in Edinburgh. The incident happened during a disturbance in the Crewe Road North area of the city on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

"Police Scotland's Counter Terrorism Unit are leading the investigation and enquiries are ongoing. We are treating this as targeted, and we do not believe there is any wider threat to the public.

"If anyone was on Crewe Road North or in the nearby supermarket carpark during the early hours of this morning and has any relevant dashcam footage or saw anything suspicious, please contact the Police on 101 quoting reference 0416 of July 15."