Details Emerge in Edinburgh Attacks
CCTV footage obtained by the BBC has provided a clearer picture of the moments preceding the arrest of a man implicated in a series of suspected anti-Muslim attacks across Edinburgh. The footage depicts a shirtless individual driving erratically, abandoning his vehicle, and then assaulting a Black man and a delivery rider while wielding two large knives and smoking.
Police have confirmed that five individuals sustained injuries in the incidents that occurred at various locations throughout Edinburgh on a Friday night. Counter-terrorism police have joined the ongoing investigation. Notably, two of the injured men had recently attended prayers at Broomhouse mosque approximately 30 minutes before they were attacked.
Sequence of Events on Leith Walk
The CCTV footage shows a dark car swerving onto Leith Walk, with its driver, a shirtless man, exiting the vehicle and confronting a man on an e-bike before briefly leaving the frame. He then returns to his car before re-emerging to pursue a Black man who had just disembarked from a tram. The footage captures the shirtless man, with a cigarette in his mouth, repeatedly striking at the Black man with two large knives. After the Black man flees, the assailant is seen battering the door of a pizzeria on Leith Walk, causing members of the public to scatter.
Minutes later, the man attacks a delivery driver on an e-bike on Leith Walk, causing the driver to fall. Police units arrived shortly thereafter, detaining the man approximately five minutes after his initial arrival on the street.
Victims and Community Response
Authorities reported that five people were injured in total, with four requiring hospital treatment. The incidents reportedly began near Broomhouse Mosque in the west of the city. While the injuries were not life-threatening, two of the victims, both 22 years old, were stabbed multiple times while sitting in Sighthill Park after Asr prayers. They were discharged from the hospital the following day.
A member of Edinburgh's Muslim community expressed shock, stating, "It doesn't make sense that this is actually happening. You know how Edinburgh is, a very good community. I never thought that's a thing that would happen here." Aaquil Hussain, a liaison officer at Broomhouse Mosque, described the attacks as an "affront to British values," emphasizing the community's pride in living in Edinburgh and their resilience. However, Hussain also called upon the UK government to address "extremism" that leads individuals to embrace "absolutely false propaganda."
Wider Incidents and Political Condemnation
Beyond Leith Walk, the attacker is believed to have traveled from Sighthill to a Shell petrol station on Telford Road, where a taxi driver was confronted, his vehicle vandalized, and an axe thrown through its window. Other social media videos show a man causing disturbances at a BP petrol station on Ferry Road, smashing a vehicle's windscreen and overturning shelves inside the shop.
Mobile phone footage captured a police officer detaining a shirtless man on the ground, who was heard shouting about "protecting the country." Police Scotland confirmed that a 36-year-old man was apprehended by officers equipped with Tasers, though the devices were not discharged. He has since been charged.
Assistant Chief Constable Paton condemned the "shocking attack," reiterating that "there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in a Scotland which is at its best when we stand together." Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney also condemned the attacks, with Starmer suggesting anti-Muslim hatred as a motive and Swinney emphasizing that "there is no place for violence, racism or intolerance in our country."
Scottish Justice Secretary Neil Gray called the attacks "absolutely appalling," while Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay and Labour MP Zubir Ahmed echoed similar sentiments, highlighting that Scotland is "not immune to these dark forces of hatred." Green MSPs representing Edinburgh issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with the city's Muslim communities, acknowledging the "anxiety and hurt" they must be feeling.
Source: CCTV shows moments leading up to arrest in anti-Muslim attacks probe