Counterterrorism police have taken charge of an investigation into a series of violent attacks in Edinburgh, Scotland, that left five men injured. Authorities say the attacks, which occurred late Friday, are suspected to be anti-Muslim hate crimes.
Emergency services responded to reports of “violent attacks including threats, robbery and vandalism” across the city. Local media reported the attacks began near a mosque before spreading to other areas. Social media footage showed a shirtless man carrying a long weapon, and another video appeared to show the same man shouting about “protecting the country from these Muslim bastards” while being detained by a police officer.
Police confirmed five victims aged 22, 24, 27, and 39 sustained injuries, with three requiring hospital treatment but none life-threatening. A 36-year-old white Scottish man was arrested, and authorities said there was no further threat to the public.
“Counter Terrorism Policing Scotland is investigating, supported by other specialist colleagues and local policing officers,” a police statement said. The anti-Islamophobia group MEND said several victims were Muslims and urged police to “treat this as what the evidence indicates: Islamophobic, far-right terror.”
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said he was “deeply concerned” by the incidents. Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton called for calm, stating “there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in Scotland.” The attacks come amid a broader wave of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiment across the UK, with recent riots in Northern Ireland and England.
Last week, Belfast saw two nights of serious disorder after a knife attack on a local man allegedly carried out by a Sudanese asylum seeker. The week prior, protesters clashed with police in Southampton over the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak. The unrest coincides with Reform UK, the anti-immigration populist party led by Nigel Farage, taking a clear lead in opinion polls ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives.
Source: www.dw.com