SCOTLAND: MAN ARRESTED IN SERIES OF POSSIBLE ANTI-MUSLIM ATTACKS (VIDEO)

A man has been arrested by Scottish police following a series of violent attacks in Edinburgh on Friday evening that left five people injured. The attacks are believed to be anti-Muslim, and counter-terrorism services have taken over the investigation.

These acts have been strongly condemned by the political class. In Scotland, a man has been arrested for his probable involvement in a series of "violent attacks" that occurred this Friday evening in Edinburgh.

The Press Association, citing police sources, reported that the man is a 36-year-old Scotsman and has been charged in connection with Friday's incidents. He will appear in court in due course.

A video circulating online shows a shirtless man, who may be the suspect, wandering the streets of the Scottish capital, carrying a weapon. Counter-terrorism police are "leading the investigation," Scottish police said in a statement.

The attacks may have an anti-Muslim motive. In footage of his arrest, the man can be heard shouting: "It's time to end this. I'm protecting the country from these fucking pathetic Muslims who rape our young girls, who rape all our children. Enough is enough!"

In response to these acts, British and Scottish political leaders condemned the incidents, first and foremost Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who reacted in a message posted on X. "The suspect appears to have acted under the influence of anti-Muslim hatred. I will not tolerate this: he will be punished to the full extent of the law," he declared.

"There is no place for violence, racism or intolerance in our country," commented Scottish First Minister John Swinney, saying he was "deeply concerned."

ATTACKS NEAR A MOSQUE

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said she was "horrified," adding that there was "no place for hatred and violence against Muslims."

Police received multiple emergency calls on Friday evening reporting "violent attacks, including threats, robberies and acts of vandalism." According to the BBC, the attacks began near a mosque.

Two men were initially injured in Sighthill, a suburb west of Edinburgh, and then taken to hospital, police said. Three others were subsequently attacked elsewhere before officers arrested the suspect, they added.

The victims, aged 22, 24, 27, and 39, suffered various injuries. Three of them were hospitalized, but their lives are not in danger, police said.

The Scottish Mosque Association and the anti-racism NGO MEND, which fights against Islamophobia, have confirmed that several of the victims are Muslim. According to MEND, the video of the shirtless man also shows him shouting that the country must be "protected" from Muslims.

These attacks come amid heightened tensions in the UK over immigration. The Northern Irish capital, Belfast, experienced two nights of serious unrest last week after a violent knife attack, for which a Sudanese man has been charged, was filmed before the video went viral.