An immigrant from Chad has been charged after two people were hospitalised by a man allegedly roaming the streets of Edinburgh with knives.
A 23-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday following a stand-off with armed police, who rushed to a tower block in Calder, west Edinburgh, at around 8.30am.
Neighbours said that the knifeman was ‘covered in blood’ and had ransacked a local shop, with two people rushed to hospital with ‘non-life threatening injuries’.
Schools and a nursery situated nearby were put into lockdown amid the immigrant’s rampage.
A man with stab wounds was treated at The Royal Infirmary and a woman received treatment for a cut to her head ‘not believed to be caused by a bladed weapon’. They have both since been discharged.
A suspect was eventually arrested following a seven-hour stand-off at a tower block near Calder Gardens. The attacker had been pictured peering out from a window on the 11th floor.
The Daily Mail understands that the man is an immigrant from Chad, central Africa, who has lived in the city for three years.
He will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday. Police say the incident is not terror related.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Chief Inspector Scott Kennedy warned that misinformation about the incident had been spread online. Police received no reports that the knifeman tried to enter a school or nursery.
He said: ‘I’m aware misinformation continues to be shared online about this incident which could cause further distress in the local community.
‘I’d like to be clear: we did not receive any reports of a man attempting to enter a nursery or any educational establishment and this was not a hostage situation.
‘While we understand what happened was frightening, I’d ask people to avoid speculating about the details and be mindful that false information could affect any future court proceedings.
‘We still have a police presence in the area for reassurance and I thank the public for their continued assistance and support.’
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: ‘This was a shocking incident. Our thoughts are with those injured, and we thank Police Scotland for their swift response.
‘We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws. We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system so we can scale up deportations.
‘All Foreign National Offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity.’
