Terror police probe suspected anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh

Scottish counterterrorism police confirmed on Saturday they are leading an investigation into suspected anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh that left five men injured. The incidents, which began late Friday, included threats, robbery, and vandalism across the city. Local media reported that the attacks started near a mosque before spreading to other areas.

Social media footage showed a shirtless man carrying a long weapon while walking down a street; another video appeared to show the same man on the ground shouting about "protecting the country from these Muslim bastards" while being held by a police officer. Police identified the injured as two 22-year-olds and three others aged 24, 27, and 39. Three victims required hospital treatment but none suffered life-threatening injuries. A 36-year-old Scottish man was arrested, and police stated there is no further threat to the public.

The anti-Islamophobia nonprofit MEND said several victims were Muslims and urged police to treat the incident as "Islamophobic, far-right terror." Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said he was "deeply concerned," while Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton called for calm, emphasizing there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in Scotland.

The Edinburgh attacks come amid heightened tensions across the UK, with recent riots in Northern Ireland and England fueled by anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiment. Last week, Belfast saw two nights of serious disorder after a knife attack on a local man, allegedly by a Sudanese asylum seeker. Prior to that, protesters clashed with police in Southampton over the handling of a murder case. Meanwhile, the anti-immigration Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, has taken a clear lead in opinion polls, ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives.