A 36-year-old man has been charged with five counts of attempted murder “aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection” after a series of knife attacks in Edinburgh last Friday. Lewis Hawkes also faces charges of assault, robbery, breach of the peace, and culpable and reckless conduct, all aggravated by a terrorist connection.
Court Appearance and Remand
Hawkes appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, where he made no plea or declaration. He has been remanded in custody, with a further court appearance expected within eight days. The investigation is being led by specialist counter-terrorism officers.
First Minister’s Response
Before the charges were confirmed, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney visited Broomhouse mosque, near where the attacks are believed to have started. Speaking to PA Media, Swinney said he had spoken to some of the injured men. “They are not only physically injured but they are deeply traumatised by the attack,” he said. He expressed “solidarity, sympathy and empathy” and warned the incident could have “enormous consequences for cohesion within our community.”
Details of the Attacks
Police with stun guns arrested a white Scottish man, bare-chested, on Leith Walk at about 9:30pm on Friday after reports of incidents at at least six locations involving bladed weapons. The attacks appeared to target Muslims and people of colour. Five men aged 22 to 39 were injured, with four taken to hospital.
At about 8:30pm, two men were stabbed as they left Broomhouse mosque in the south-west of the city. Around 45 minutes later, a taxi was vandalised at a petrol station on Telford Road near Crewe Toll in the north-west. At approximately 9:28pm, shelves were overturned at a shop on Ferry Road in Leith, and at 9:30pm three people were hurt on Leith Walk. A witness told The Guardian a bicycle courier was attacked and a minicab had a window smashed.
Community Reaction
Owais Ahmed, a member of Broomhouse mosque’s management, said on Saturday: “There is a sense of anxiety and uncertainty in some aspects but people are resilient.” Omar Afzal, director of public affairs with the Scottish Association of Mosques, said anti-Muslim hatred had become normalised in the UK, causing “a profound sense of shock, alarm and anger within Muslim communities” in Edinburgh and across Scotland.
About 100 local people gathered on Leith Walk on Sunday for a rally intended to show the attacks were an aberration.
Police and Government Response
Supt Neil Wilson of Police Scotland said officers had spoken to more than 90 faith-based organisations and community leaders in Edinburgh and other parts of the country since Friday. He said there was no evidence of a wider threat but police were carrying out a community impact assessment and would monitor the situation closely.
Swinney, who grew up near Broomhouse, described it as “always a very welcoming, inclusive community” and said Friday’s incidents reinforced the importance of teaching people to “understand and appreciate the strength that comes from diversity” from a young age.
