36-year-old man in court on five charges of attempted murder aggravated by 'terrorist connection'
Remanded in custody to appear again within 8 days
A man has appeared in court charged with five counts of attempted murder "aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection" following a series of attacks in Edinburgh on Friday evening.
Lewis Hawkes, 36, also faced three charges of assault and robbery when he appeared in the dock from custody during a private hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.
Hawkes, whose address was given as Edinburgh, is also charged with two counts of culpable and reckless conduct and a single charge of breach of the peace. All the allegations are said to be aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection.
Hawkes, 36, made no plea and the case was committed for further examination. He was remanded in custody and is due to appear back at the Capital court within eight days.
Police have said the alarm was raised around 8.50pm on Friday when they were called to the Sighthill area, where two men were found injured. Further incidents were reported in other parts of the city, including Telford Road and Leith Walk.
In a statement issued on Monday, Superintendent Neil Wilson, of Police Scotland’s Edinburgh division, said: “We recognise the concerns felt within all communities, including those who experienced and witnessed these horrific attacks, and we understand concerns may be heightened at this time.”
He said police had spoken to more than 90 multi-faith organisations around Edinburgh and Scotland since Friday.
“We have also been in touch with the police officers who bravely carried out the arrest on Friday, as well as speaking to other officers to offer any support they need.
“While there is no wider threat, it continues to be a live ongoing investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing Scotland, supported by local policing officers in Edinburgh and other specialist national capabilities in Scotland.”
He encouraged any witnesses to submit information to the major incident public portal set up by police online.