A 38-year-old white Scottish man has been charged in connection with a series of suspected anti-Muslim knife attacks in Edinburgh on Friday night, which left five men injured. Police Scotland confirmed the counter-terrorism unit is involved in the investigation, which also includes alleged threats, robbery, and vandalism, though it has not yet been declared a terrorist incident.
Attack Details and Witness Accounts
The attacks began near a mosque in the west of Edinburgh, followed by incidents on Leith Walk in the east. Witnesses described a taxi and an Uber bike courier being targeted. Hasan Eren, owner of Best Kebab House on Leith Walk, said he saw the assailant attacking a minicab, kicking it and throwing a metal object that smashed a window, terrifying a passenger. The attacker then allegedly assaulted an Uber cycle courier with a bladed weapon, hitting him several times. Eren and other witnesses shouted at the alleged assailant to stop.
Footage on social media appeared to show a bare-chested white man brandishing a blade, kicking and hitting the door of Origano pizza takeaway as pedestrians scattered. Staff brought down remotely operated shutters. The suspect was detained by police carrying stun guns; Eren said the suspect threw the blade away, dropped to the ground, and did not resist arrest. The man was heard shouting he was “protecting the country”.
Community Response and Rally
On Sunday afternoon, about 100 local people, including MSPs, councillors, and activists from Living Rent tenants’ union and Scottish Green party, gathered on Leith Walk for a hastily arranged rally. Nat Gorodnitski, a climate campaigner who co-organised the demonstration, said it was intended to prove the attack was an aberration: “My hope is whoever is living in the area, who’s afraid to leave their homes or feels unsafe, this will say ‘you’re safe, you belong here’.”
Kenny, 53, a local man who declined to give his full name, said: “Everyone is a bit befuddled by it. It’s a very nicely integrated community.” Ava, 22, who works in Origano’s sister restaurant, said: “As a woman of colour, it’s scary seeing the way hatred has been whipped up.”
Official Reactions
First Minister John Swinney will meet members of Edinburgh’s Muslim community on Monday. He said: “There is no place for race-based or faith-based violence in Scotland. My thoughts are with all who have been impacted.” Swinney condemned the attacks as “heinous” and said allegations of anti-Muslim hatred were “abhorrent”. He added: “We must not allow recent attempts to stoke fear to divide us.”
Ben Macpherson, SNP MSP for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, said: “Leith is a place of pluralism and different nationalities, ethnicities, religions, we’re not going to let this situation disrupt that.” Kate Nevens, Scottish Greens MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, said: “I love this neighbourhood, it has so much love and generosity of spirit.”
