Campaigners cheer as US arms firm leaves N Ireland

Raytheon Business Development spokesman Robin Hughes said that the Massachusetts-based corporation would not renew its lease at the Northern Ireland Systems and Software Centre in Springtown and that it would be pulling out on February 15.

Raytheon opened its Derry operation, which focused on software development for missile systems, in 1999 with a staff of 50. In recent years the number had declined to just seven.

Mr Hughes said that the "seven employees impacted by this action will be provided assistance on an individual basis by the company through the transition process."

Raytheon had repeatedly denied claims that its Derry plant made components for bunker bombs deployed by the Israeli military against civilians in Gaza. But in 2006 Derry city councillors distanced themselves from Raytheon following several visits to the plant and meetings with bosses.

Last year a number of Derry Anti-War Coalition (DAWC) protesters were acquitted by a jury of committing a series of public order offences during protests inside and outside the plant.

A DAWC representative welcomed the closure announcement, with the simple message "mission accomplished."

Fourteen peace activists are due to stand trial in Derry on March 8 - again charged with public order offences - after they occupied the Raytheon facility last January.

Their lawyers have said that the defence will be based on the justified hampering of the delivery of component parts being supplied by Raytheon to the Israeli defence forces.

The trial is expected to last for more than six weeks.

Veteran activist Eamonn McCann, who took part in the 2006 occupation, said: "The day will come when people will look at the arms trade which deals in mass murder and ask how did we allow it to operate like this in human misery - just as we now ask how people tolerated the slave trade. We hope our actions in Derry have brought that day a little closer."

Elswehere, China's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing has reaffirmed its opposition to US arms deals with the breakaway country, including a £675 million contract to Raytheon for production of the Patriot Air and Missile Defence System. The company has previously had several lucrative contracts for air traffic control systems with China.