Two people hurt as armed police called to reports of man with knife in Edinburgh; edinburgh Calder standoff

Two people were taken to hospital after a man seen with knives prompted a major armed response in the Calder area of edinburgh, leaving nearby schools locked down and local residents urged to avoid the neighbourhood. Police say the disturbance has been contained and it is not being treated as terror-related, but specialist firearms and ambulance teams remained on scene.

Police response and containment in Calder, Edinburgh

Firearms officers were sent to Calder Gardens after reports of a man with a bladed weapon at 08: 25. Police Scotland said specialist resources, including firearms officers, were in attendance at a property nearby and extended a cordon as enquiries continued. Officers described the earlier disturbance as contained and said there was not believed to be any wider risk to the public.

At least six police vehicles were visible outside Cobbinshaw House, a tower block of flats, as armed officers were seen entering the building. Paramedics wearing helmets and body armour attended the scene alongside the firearms teams.

Injuries, hospital treatment and ambulance deployment

Two people injured in the incident were taken to the Royal Infirmary of edinburgh for treatment. The Scottish Ambulance Service received a call at 8. 34am to attend an incident on Calder Gardens and dispatched three ambulances, three paramedic response units and a special operations response team; two patients were transported to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Police said one of the people thought to have been stabbed worked as a council employee and served as a concierge in a high-rise block, and another alleged victim was a woman in her 60s.

Eyewitness accounts, footage and property damage

Two local men said they saw the suspect armed with two blood-stained knives outside a shop shortly after the incident began. One witness described getting out of his car as the man approached with his hands behind his back and asked, "Can I speak to you?" before revealing two knives he said were covered in blood.

Footage circulating from the area showed a man walking holding two large knives and a small shop that had been damaged. One resident said an onlooker handed him a spirit level, which he used to confront the suspect; he said, "He handed me the spirit level and we just started going for it, " and that he tried to chase the man away from a nearby school.

Suspect description, actions and building situation

Witnesses described the suspect as carrying a large knife in each hand. One account said the man appeared to have ransacked a local mini supermarket and that he may have entered the stairwell of a high-rise. Residents claimed the suspect lived in one of three high-rise blocks on an estate previously used by the council to house homeless people.