The Prime Minister has condemned the attacks in Edinburgh that have left five people injured, saying the suspect appeared to be motivated by “anti-Muslim hatred”.
Counter-terrorism officers were brought in to investigate a series of violent attacks across Edinburgh on Friday and Police Scotland said a 36-year-old white Scottish man had been arrested.
The force said there is no further threat to the public.
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Sir Keir Starmer posted on X, linking to an image of a bare-chested man carrying a large weapon, saying: “Absolutely appalling. No one should face violence on our streets.
“The suspect appears to be motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. I will not tolerate this – he will face the full force of the law.
“My thoughts are with those who are injured and I thank the police and the emergency services for their response.”
Footage posted online showed a bare-chested white man roaming the streets of Edinburgh with a large weapon and while another clip seems to show a man battering the door of a pizzeria.
Police closed off Leith Walk on Friday evening as the incidents unfolded and another video appeared to show a topless man on the ground shouting that he is “protecting the country” as he is held by an officer.
Officers were called to a report of an incident in the Sighthill area of the city, where two men were injured, at around 8.50pm on Friday.
Police said they then received reports about incidents around retailers across the west and north of the city.
The force said that during this period three other men were allegedly attacked in the Telford Road and Leith Walk area.
Police said that five men – two aged 22, and others aged 24, 27, and 39 – sustained a range of injuries. Three needed hospital treatment, although none of the injuries are life-threatening.
Several of the victims are Muslim, according to the Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend) organisation.
Police said the 36-year-old man was detained at around 9.30pm on Friday.
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