Anti-war protesters have claimed responsibility for a night of destruction at an arms factory.

Computers and furniture were hurled from the windows of the EDO MBM Technology plant in Home Farm Road, Moulsecoomb, early this morning.

Messages in the names of people claiming to have "decommissioned" the factory were later posted on the internet.

The firm has been the target of demonstrations by the Smash EDO group since 2004 with the aim of closing it down.

The protesters say weapons components made at the site are used by Israeli aircraft on bombing missions in Gaza.

A message posted on a protest website this morning read: "The Smash EDO campaign has been contacted by a group of campaigners who forced entry into the ITT/EDO MBM arms factory early this morning, Saturday January 17.

"They destroyed equipment inside the factory that is used to make the weapons used in Israel's wholesale slaughter of civilians in Gaza."

Smash EDO spokeswoman Chloe Marsh said: "The citizens of Britain are no longer prepared to stand idly by whilst Israel commits genocide with the backing of our own government and arms. industries.

"This is a peace messenger city, ITT/EDO MBM is an obscenity that must be removed from Brighton and the directors of this foul company ought to be tried for war crimes by the International Criminal Court."

The statement included messages from "decommissioners".

One said: "I'm looking at the world scene and I'm getting more and more horrified.

"I've been looking at the law and I don't feel I'm going to do anything illegal tonight, but I'm going to go into an arms factory and smash it up to the best of my ability to that it cannot actually work or produce munitions and these very dirty bombs that have been provided to the Israeli army so that they can kill children.

"The time for talking has gone too far. I'm not a writer, I'm just a person from the community and I'm deeply disgusted."

Police confirmed they had made nine arrests at the site this morning.

They were gathering evidence and trying to establish the extent of the damage this morning.