Disused hand grenade detonated by bomb squad in 'controlled explosion' in Inverleith park
Police emphasised there was no link with the bomb threats sent to a number of Edinburgh schools on Monday morning.
Police have confirmed a disused hand grenade was blown up in a controlled explosion in Inverleith Park on Monday evening, after locals reported hearing a “big boom”.
Officers said the grenade was handed into St Leonard's police station, near Holyrood Park, as lost property at around 4.15pm in the afternoon.
They called in a specialist bomb disposal team, who examined the item and transported it to Inverleith Park where they conducted a controlled explosion.
One eyewitness said: “I was running through the park when the explosion went off - police there said it’s a “controlled explosion” but didn’t say anything else.
“It was in the north east quadrant bit not far from the path / botanicas side entrance, a handful of police there but nothing cordoned off that we could see.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.15pm on Monday, 19 October, 2026, a disused hand grenade was handed into St Leonard's Police Office, Edinburgh as lost property.
"EOD attended, examined the item and removed it to Inverleith Park where a controlled explosion was carried out."
They confirmed the incident was not linked to the threatening messages sent to a schools across Scotland and Northern Ireland on Monday morning, which police confirmed is being treated as a hoax.