Edinburgh crime news: Police and bomb squad attend Potterrow mosque after a suspicious item found

Traffic is being diverted as police close off main Edinburgh street

A major police operation is under way in Edinburgh city centre after a suspicious item was found in a mosque.

Police officers have swarmed the area around Edinburgh Central Mosque in Potterrow and Nicolson Square has been closed off to both traffic and pedestrians.

Emergency services were alerted to the item at 9.30am on Tuesday.

Barriers and a police cordon have been put up in Nicolson Square

A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed: “Police were called to a report of a suspicious item found within a Mosque on Potterrow, Edinburgh. A cordon has been put in place as a precaution and the EOD are in attendance.”

The Mosque posted on their Facebook page: “Edinburgh Central Mosque will be closed today for the next few hours and until further notice. This is due to a couple of bags that we discovered inside the premises early this morning. The Police have been notified about the bags and following a review of CCTV they have advised that we evacuate the building and stop any activities until they have removed the bags. We do not know at this moment how long the process could take, however will post another update as soon as the bags have been removed and the police has concluded that it is safe to reopen the building.”

Lothian buses have confirmed that services 2 and 47 have been diverted “via Chambers Street and Nicolson Street in both directions until further notice.”

They will not be servicing Nicolson Square and Potterrow.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more comes in.

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