Scottish-based arms makers may face investigation for their role in the Yemen war after a dossier was handed over to war crimes prosecutors.
 Amnesty International  believes executives at firms like Raytheon, Thales and BAE Systems should be accountable for their decisions at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
The companies, which have substantial bases in Scotland in Fife and Glasgow,  have always insisted they provide weapons to the Saudi government under deals backed by the UK.

However, an official submission from the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights has called on ICC’s prosecutors investigate whether high-ranking officials, from both European companies and governments, have criminal responsibility for supplying arms used by members of the Saudi Arabia/Emirates-led military coalition in potential war crimes in Yemen.

The dossier, which runs to over 300 pages, documents 26 airstrikes - on residential buildings, schools, hospitals, a museum and world heritage sites - which it claims may amount to war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Patrick Wilcken, Amnesty International’s Arms Control Researcher, said: “The reality is that everybody involved in selling weapons to the Saudi Arabia/UAE-led Coalition bears some responsibility for how those weapons are used.

“Company executives have had ample time and access to plenty of reliable information to reassess their decisions to supply the Coalition in the light of the horrific events in Yemen.

“Hiding behind flawed government decision-making is not good enough - now they could face criminal charges before an international criminal court.”