Yasser Yaqub
A photo posted on social media alongside tributes to the man shot dead by police near the M62 in Huddersfield Facebook

The man shot dead in a 'pre-planned' police operation in the M62 near Huddersfield has been identified in reports as 27-year-old Mohammed Yassar Yaqub.

He was driving a vehicle heading off the M62 towards Huddersfield at around 6pm on Monday (2 January) when it was stopped by at least one unmarked policed vehicle that was following it.

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The vehicle was boxed in in the junction 24 slip road, and police fired, killing Yaqub. Photographs at the scene show a silver Audi with three bullet holes in the windscreen.

Tributes were paid to Yaqub on social media.

"Cannot believe what I'm hearing this morning. RIP Yassar. Thinking of you and your family," wrote a Facebook user. "Can't believe you're gone… may Allah make it easy on your family," wrote another.

Sky News has reported that sources had confirmed the identity of the man killed as Yaqub.

Neighbours told the Guardian that Yaqub's house had previously been targeted in a shooting incident last year.

"It's a bit of a shock, really. Two men with shotguns came to his house to try to shoot him last year. It was after school and there was kids everywhere," said Melanie Heyer.

In 2010, Yaqub was accused of being involved in a shooting in September the previous year. The case against him at Bradford Crown Court was dropped in May 2010 due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Police said the incident was not terror related, and a car had been stopped in the Chain Bar area of Bradford at around the same time. Police arrested three people at the scene of the Huddersfield shooting and two in Bradford.

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M62 shooting Ainley Top Huddersfield
Police forensics officers work at the scene of an incident, which resulted in a West Yorkshire police officer shooting a suspect in an Audi Oli Scarff/AFP

Several of those arrested needed hospital treatment for injuries "not related to firearm discharge" but no police officers were hurt, a force spokesman said.

A police spokesman said: "During a pre-planned policing operation near to the M62 in Huddersfield, a police firearm was discharged and a man has died. "An immediate referral has been made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission who are in attendance in West Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Police are fully co-operating with their investigation."

An IPCC Spokesman confirmed an investigation is under way. "IPCC investigators remain at the scene and are attending post incident procedures in order to gather evidence during the early stages of this investigation. The man's family has been informed."