A disturbing sequence of events unfolded on Edinburgh's streets last Friday night, captured in stark detail by CCTV footage obtained by the BBC. The harrowing video shows a man driving erratically on Leith Walk before embarking on a violent rampage that left five people injured and shocked the city's Muslim community.
According to the footage, the assailant – described as topless, with a cigarette in his mouth – first confronted an individual on an e-bike, then a black man who had just disembarked from a tram. Witnesses reported the attacker wielding two large knives, striking multiple people and causing chaos before fleeing. The violence continued at various locations across Edinburgh, including outside a pizzeria on Leith Walk, where passers-by were forced to scatter for safety.
Police Scotland confirmed that four of those injured – aged 22, 24, 27, and 39 – required hospital treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Two 22-year-old men who had been attending evening prayers at Broomhouse Mosque in Sighthill Park were discharged from hospital the following day after being stabbed multiple times.
The incidents have sent shockwaves through Edinburgh's Muslim community, with Aaquil Hussain, a liaison officer at Broomhouse Mosque, describing them as an "affront to British values". He expressed the community's resilience and pride in living in Edinburgh, while also calling for action from the UK government to address what he believes is the root cause of such extremism.
Further footage obtained by police shows the man causing disorder at multiple locations, including a confrontation with a taxi driver at a Shell petrol station on Telford Road, where a car was vandalised and an axe thrown through a window. Counter-terrorism police have joined the investigation, which highlights the serious nature of the alleged crimes.
The 36-year-old man arrested by Police Scotland has been charged in connection with the incidents. The case is being led by counter-terrorism officers, underscoring the severity of the allegations and the concerns raised within the community.