Police Scotland's first public statement said a 36-year-old man had been arrested after incidents across west Edinburgh and Leith on Friday evening, 19 June, and that officers believed there was no further risk to the public. The Guardian later reported that Police Scotland said a 36-year-old man had been charged in connection with a number of incidents and that a report had been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
The local geography matters. The Guardian reported that officers were called to Sighthill at about 8.50pm, where two men were injured and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, before further alleged attacks in the Telford Road and Leith Walk area. Five men aged 22, 22, 24, 27 and 39 sustained injuries; three required hospital treatment and none of the injuries was life-threatening.
Those are the procedural facts. The motive question is being handled with more caution. AP reported that counterterrorism detectives were investigating attacks that appeared to target Muslims, and that the Scottish Association of Mosques said two of the injured men had been attacked after attending prayers at their local mosque. The Guardian reported that counter-terrorism policing was supporting Police Scotland under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
That distinction is important in a local crime story. A man has been charged; he has not been convicted. Police and prosecutors will decide what offences are alleged and what evidence is put before a court. Community organisations and political leaders can describe the fear and apparent targeting, but the article should not outrun the formal process.
The public-safety issue is immediate even before any trial. A sequence of incidents across Sighthill, Telford Road and Leith Walk can change how people move around the city, especially after evening prayers. That is why visible police reassurance and precise information matter more than broad condemnation. Residents need to know whether there is an ongoing threat, where patrols are being focused and how to submit evidence.