Man Injures Five in Suspected Anti-Muslim Attacks in Edinburgh

Five men were injured in a series of attacks that Scottish police are investigating as possible anti-Muslim violence in Edinburgh. The incidents took place on Friday evening at several locations across the city.

According to witnesses, the suspect was walking through the streets shirtless and armed with a large bladed weapon.

According to the BBC, the attacks began near Broomhouse mosque in western Edinburgh, where he injured two men. He then attacked three other men, aged 24, 27 and 39, on Telford Road and Leith Walk. Police said none of the injuries are life-threatening.

Videos posted on social media show the man smashing the windows of a taxi and other vehicles, destroying equipment at gas stations, and repeatedly banging on the door of a pizzeria. While being detained by police, he shouted profanities and claimed he was "protecting the country".

Police arrested a 36-year-old man. Counterterrorism investigators have also joined the investigation. Representatives of the Muslim community have condemned the attacks.

(est, bbc)