Man arrested after Edinburgh knife incident leaves two in hospital

A man has been arrested after a knife incident in Edinburgh which left two people needing hospital treatment.

Police firearms officers were called to reports of a man with a bladed weapon in the Calders area of the city at 08:25.

A stand-off followed with a suspect later seen looking out the window of an 11th-floor flat for a number of hours but he was removed by police at around 16:00.

Police Scotland said the incident was not being treated as terror-related.

The two injured people were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with "non-life threatening injuries".

Police confirmed a man was being treated for injuries "consistent with being stabbed", while a woman was being treated for a cut to her head "not believed to be caused by a bladed weapon".

Ch Insp Scott Kennedy said: "I'd like to thank the public for their assistance and patience while we dealt with this incident.

"I understand what happened was alarming for the local community and I want to reassure the public there is no ongoing wider risk."

The suspect was removed from the building via a back door to avoid a crowd that had gathered out the front.

Footage which has been circulating on social media shows a man walking in the area holding two large knives, as well as a shop which had been damaged.

Asif Hussain, who owns the convenience store, told BBC Scotland News that one of his workers hit a panic button when a man carrying two knives entered the shop.

He said: "All praises to God, he's got away from him. Ran, screamed that there's a knife man in the shop, 'everybody get in the back'.

"Our procedure is that if there's anything like that happening, get in the back of the shop and barricade yourself in the office. You know you can't defend yourself if the person's got two knives, there's nothing much you can do."

Hussain said a female customer was unable to get to the back of the store and was injured.

"Luckily thank God she escaped. She's ran out of the shop screaming."

The man who was stabbed is understood to be a concierge in a neighbouring block of flats.

A block of flats, Cobbinshaw House, was cordoned off and a man was seen appearing at an 11th floor window, looking down at the crowd below.

Members of the public were seen shouting at him and the police extended their cordon to move them further back.

At the scene, people from other flats in the block could be seen at their windows.

Cobbinshaw House is one of three multi-storey blocks of flats in the Calders area, between Sighthill and Wester Hailes in the west of the city.

These blocks were originally built in the late 1960s as part of the Calder Park development, with the bulk of the housing owned by the council.

The 13-storey buildings contain 408 homes.

Cobbinshaw House, Dunsyre House and Medwin House are all due to be renovated as part of Edinburgh's multi-storey improvement programme, which began in 2023.

City of Edinburgh Council confirmed all schools and council buildings in the Calders area were on lockdown during the incident, while Lothian Buses diverted its number 20 service.

The leader of Edinburgh City Council, Jane Meagher said: "Moments like this remind us of the need to stand together – and of the importance of community spirit and tolerance. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home, at work, on their street and in their neighbourhood.

"Edinburgh is a proud, welcoming and diverse city. Our biggest strength lies in those who live here – people from all walks of life, cultures, and backgrounds – and we all have a part to play in making sure it stays that way."

The Scottish Ambulance Service sent three ambulances, three paramedic response units and a special operations response team to the scene.