Counterterror police investigate after 5 hurt in Edinburgh attacks that appeared to target Muslims

LONDON — Counterterror detectives in Scotland are investigating after five people were injured in attacks in Edinburgh that appeared to target Muslims, police said Saturday.

Police Scotland said a 36-year-old man was arrested late Friday after officers received multiple reports of attacks in the west and north of the city.

The force said five men — two aged 22, and others aged 24, 27 and 39 — sustained a range of injuries and three needed hospital treatment. None of the injuries is considered life-threatening.

The charity Muslim Engagement and Development said that several of those injured are Muslim. The Scottish Association of Mosques said two of the injured men were attacked after attending prayers at their local mosque.

Video posted on social media appeared to show a shirtless man carrying a long weapon roaming a street and battering a restaurant door in the Scottish capital. Another video seemed to show the same man on the ground shouting about “protecting the country” while being held by a police officer.

The Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement that the Muslim community is “rightly nervous and worried.” It said the violence was “a direct consequence of political rhetoric that demonizes entire communities.”

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said it was a “shocking” incident. She said officers “are being supported by Counter Terrorism Policing.

“I want to send a clear message of support to all our communities that there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in a Scotland, which is at its best when we stand together,” she said.

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