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Edinburgh Man Charged With Five Counts of Attempted Murder With Terror Link, Remanded in Custody
Lewis Hawkes, 36, appeared in court Monday facing terrorism-aggravated charges after five men were injured in Friday attacks across Edinburgh. Police assigned counter-terrorism officers to the investigation.
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Lewis Hawkes, 36, of Edinburgh, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday charged with five counts of attempted murder aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection. The Crown Office said Hawkes also faces one count of assault and robbery, two counts of breach of the peace and two counts of culpable and reckless conduct, each aggravated by a terrorist connection.
He did not enter a plea during the private hearing and was committed for further examination and remanded in custody, with another court appearance scheduled within eight days.
Five men aged 22, 22, 24, 27 and 39 were injured in the attacks on Friday evening. , where two men were stabbed multiple times at Sighthill Park after leaving Asr prayer at Broomhouse Mosque. The two 22-year-olds were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
Three more men were attacked later that evening in the Telford Road and Leith Walk areas. Three of the five victims required hospital treatment, though none of the injuries were life-threatening. Counter-terrorism officers were assigned to the investigation after police determined the attacks carried a suspected anti-Muslim motivation.
GB News reported that several of the injured men are Muslim. The attacks also included vandalism of a taxi at a Shell garage on Telford Road at 21:15 and damage at a BP garage on Ferry Road at 21:28. Video footage obtained by BBC Scotland showed a bare-chested man carrying two large weapons on Leith Walk who chased a man on an e-bike, struck a man who had stepped off a tram, attacked a pizzeria door and struck a delivery driver on an e-bike before police arrived.
First Minister John Swinney said Friday's events should be a "wake-up call" to Scotland over intolerance towards others. He added that he was "terrified" the incidents were the product of intolerance being "legitimised". Superintendent Neil Wilson of Police Scotland's Edinburgh division said concern among some communities had been "heightened" by the attacks.
