Armed police respond as Edinburgh Calder area locked down after reports of man with bladed weapons

The latest incident in edinburgh saw firearms officers deployed to the Calder/Calders area at 08: 25 after reports of a man with a bladed weapon. The event has left two people injured and has prompted a police lockdown of the neighbourhood; the situation remains ongoing and members of the public have been urged to avoid the area.

Edinburgh lockdown and police response

Firearms officers and specialist resources were sent to the Calder/Calders area following reports of a man seen with a bladed weapon on Calder Gardens at 08: 25. A Police Scotland statement describes the disturbance as contained and says it is not being treated as terror-related. The incident remains ongoing while enquiries continue.

Timeline and injuries

Officers were called to the area at 08: 25. Two people were injured during the incident and have been taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. Police say there is not believed to be any wider risk to the public while specialist teams manage the scene.

Witness accounts and confrontation

Two local men who did not wish to be named reported seeing the suspect armed with two knives outside a shop shortly after the incident began. One witness described getting out of his car when the man approached with his hands behind his back, holding two blood-stained knives. An onlooker handed a spirit level to that witness, who then used it to confront the suspect while trying to shepherd him away from a nearby school. The witness added that officers in marked vehicles told them they were not allowed to exit because it was a firearms incident.

Cobbinshaw House, tower block standoff and building details

The suspect is believed to be holed up in an upper-floor flat in the multi-storey block known as Cobbinshaw House. At one point the man is believed to have appeared at the window of an 11th-floor flat, looking down at the crowd below. A large crowd gathered outside the tower block as people from other flats watched from their windows. A few people in the crowd were heard shouting that the suspect should "jump, " prompting police to extend their cordon and move members of the public further back.

Containment, public guidance and scene resources

Police Scotland Chief Inspector Scott Kennedy described the disturbance as contained and reiterated that it is not believed to pose a wider risk to the public. Emergency crews at the scene included firearms officers and paramedics wearing helmets and body armour. Firearms officers were observed entering the block of flats; firearms teams are routinely deployed to incidents involving knives. Authorities have urged people to avoid the Calder/Calders area while enquiries continue.