John Swinney says victims of Edinburgh knife attacks deeply traumatised | Scotland

John Swinney said the victims of last week’s alleged anti-Muslim stabbing attacks in Edinburgh were deeply traumatized by their experiences.

Scotland’s first minister spoke to some of the five people injured, four of whom were taken to hospital, in a series of attacks on Friday evening that appear to have targeted Muslims and people of color in the city.

Speaking to the PA news agency after visiting the Broomhouse mosque near where the attacks are thought to have started, Swinney said he came with a message of solidarity, sympathy and empathy for those affected.

“I spoke to some young people who were injured as a result of this action on Friday evening. They were not only physically injured but also deeply traumatized by the attack,” he said.

“I am here to express the solidarity of the Scottish government and Scotland’s political leadership with the community that will be traumatized,” he said. The incident could have “huge consequences for the harmony within our society.”

The suspect in the alleged attacks, which included attacks on worshipers leaving Broomhouse mosque, taxi drivers, passers-by and cycle couriers, is scheduled to make a private appearance at Edinburgh sheriff court on Monday.

Police arrested a 38-year-old bare-chested white Scotsman with a stun gun in Leith Walk at around 9.30pm on Friday night, following reports of a series of incidents involving someone using bladed weapons in at least six locations.

Two men were stabbed as they left Broomhouse mosque in the city’s south-west at around 8.30pm, and about 45 minutes later a taxi was vandalized at a service station on Telford Road near Crewe Toll in the north-west, where an ax and broken glass on a seat were photographed.

At around 9.28pm it was reported that shelves at a store at the east end of Ferry Road in Leith were knocked over and three people were injured in Leith Walk at around 9.30pm, where a man was filmed attacking a takeaway pizzeria before being arrested. An eyewitness told the Guardian that a cycle courier was attacked with a bladed weapon and the window of a minicab was smashed.

The five injured people were aged between 22 and 39. The suspect is alleged to have shouted that he was trying to protect his country while being arrested.

Owais Ahmed, a member of Broomhouse Mosque’s management team, said on Saturday: “There is a sense of anxiety and uncertainty in some aspects but people are resilient and people are looking at this as objectively as possible.”

Omar Afzal, public relations manager at the Scottish Mosques Association, said anti-Muslim hate had become normalized in England, leading to a “deep sense of shock, alarm and anger in Muslim communities” in Edinburgh and Scotland.

Swinney said he grew up near Broomhouse and played football there: “It’s always been a very welcoming, inclusive community, a very pulled-together community, so to experience what we’re experiencing now is heartbreaking.”

He said Friday’s events reinforced the importance of encouraging people from a young age to “understand and appreciate the strength that comes from diversity.”

Supt Neil Wilson, of Police Scotland, said officers had met with more than 90 faith-based organizations and community leaders in Edinburgh and other parts of the country since Friday, as well as visiting local businesses in affected areas.

He said Scottish counter-terrorism officers were continuing to assess the evidence but there was no evidence of a wider threat.

“We are conducting a community impact assessment and will monitor the situation closely to ensure the safety and well-being of all communities and stand ready to respond promptly to any issues that arise,” he said.