Enough is enough: John Swinney and Keir Starmer united in condemnation of suspected anti-Muslim attack in Edinburgh

By TOM GORDON, SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR and DAN BARKER, REPORTER Published: 20:55, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 20:56, 21 June 2026 John Swinney will meet faith leaders in the wake of the suspected anti-Muslim attack in Edinburgh that left five men injured as Keir Starmer said ‘enough is enough’. The First Minister was briefed by Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton on the rampage and its wider implications for community cohesion. Justice Secretary Neil Gray and equalities minister Simita Kumar were also updated on safety measures and support for those affected. Mr Swinney will offer members of the Muslim community ‘solidarity’ and provide assurances his Government will ‘stand united against all forms of violence, division and prejudice’. He said: ‘There is no place for race-based or faith-based violence in Scotland. ‘My thoughts are with all who have been impacted - the victims but also the communities who are understandably anxious. ‘We must all stand united in utter condemnation of the heinous attack. Anti-Muslim hatred is abhorrent, and we must not allow recent attempts to stoke fear to divide us.’ Police Scotland said a 36-year-old man had been changed in connection with a series of incidents on Friday and a report sent to prosecutors. The BBC reported CCTV footage showed a bare-chested white man driving erratically on Leith Walk before abandoning his car across a cycle lane and striking a black man who had stepped off a tram with two large knives  John Swinney condemned the attack and will meet with religious leaders Counter-terrorism officers have been brought in to investigate. The Prime Minister said he ‘will not tolerate’ anti-Muslim hatred in Scotland’s streets and condemned the trail of ‘absolutely appalling’ violence across the capital. Sir Keir said: ‘The prejudice and discrimination that we have seen recently, targeted against individuals because of their race or religion, is unacceptable. ‘People across this country are decent, generous and live and let live. ‘Every time we see incidents, like the one that took place on Friday, inflicted on anyone because of their faith, race or identity, we must say enough is enough.’ The BBC reported CCTV footage showed a bare-chested white man driving erratically on Leith Walk before abandoning his car across a cycle lane and striking a black man who had stepped off a tram with two large knives. The man then battered the door of a pizzeria and attacked a delivery driver on an e-bike. The BBC said police officers arrived and detained the man within about five minutes. Police Scotland said five men - two aged 22, the others 24, 27 and 39 - sustained a range of injuries. Three required hospital treatment, although no injuries were life-threatening. Police officers arrived at the scene in Leith and detained the man within about five minutes Two had reportedly attended 8pm prayer at Broomhouse Mosque before being attacked. Police said the first report of trouble was around 8.50pm followed by a ‘fast-moving sequence of events’. Owais Ahmed, of Broomhouse mosque, said the incident was ‘shocking’ but ‘not surprising’. He said: ‘This is something we have seen happening throughout the UK.’ It is understood the two people attacked near the mosque have had multiple stitches, but have since been discharged. The attacker then travelled from Sighthill to a Shell petrol station in Telford Road, where a taxi driver was confronted. An axe was put through the vehicle’s window. Mr Ahmed said: ‘He escaped it narrowly. He was quite quick in thinking and moved his car forward so it hit the back window.’ Officers confronted and detained a man on Leith Walk around 9.30pm. The Association of Scottish Muslims linked the attack to those who ’seem to have decided to unleash terror on humanity’, resulting in ‘innocent people getting hurt and injured’. Leith SNP MSP Ben Macpherson said the area was ‘one of the most diverse, vibrant places in our country’ and its people ‘will not allow violence or extremism to divide us or stoke fear’. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: ‘There is no place for religious and racial hatred in our communities. We must stand together against hatred, violence and division.’ Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said: ‘It could have been a lot worse. We owe a debt of gratitude to our police officers.’ Glasgow South West Labour MP Dr Zubir Ahmed called it ’a reminder that Scotland is not immune to these dark forces of hatred.’ Church of Scotland moderator Rt Rev Gordon Kennedy said he was ‘deeply troubled and appalled’, adding: ‘We stand in solidarity with our Muslim friends and neighbours at this distressing time.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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