Two injured and suspect holed up in tower block as armed police respond in Edinburgh

Armed officers were deployed to the Calders area of Edinburgh after reports of a man seen with a bladed weapon, leaving two people injured and a neighbourhood cordoned off while a suspect is believed to be holed up in an upper-floor flat.

Incident timeline and immediate response in Calders

Police firearms officers were called to the Calders area at 08: 25 in response to reports of a man with a bladed weapon. Two people were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. Police say there is not believed to be any wider risk to the public and the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

Eyewitness accounts of the confrontation

Two local men, who did not want to be named, said they saw a suspect armed with two blood-stained knives outside a shop shortly after the incident began. One of the men described getting out of his car when the suspect approached with his hands behind his back and asked to speak; the man said the suspect had the two knives hidden behind his back and that they were covered in blood.

An onlooker handed one of the local men a spirit level, which he then used to confront the suspect. The man described trying to chase the suspect back as he headed towards a nearby school, saying the suspect continued to come towards him. The men said uniformed officers were present but were not allowed to exit their vehicle because the situation had been escalated to a firearms incident.

Tower block standoff at Cobbinshaw House in Edinburgh's Calder area

A suspect is thought to be holed up in an 11th-floor flat in a multi-storey block identified as Cobbinshaw House. Firearms officers were seen entering the block of flats, and a drone was deployed and flown outside the upper flat window where the suspect is believed to be located. A figure briefly appeared at the window of the upper-floor flat before disappearing from view.

Paramedics wearing helmets and body armour attended the scene. A police cordon around Cobbinshaw House was extended to move onlookers further back after members of the public were seen shouting at the person in the flat. Residents from other flats were seen at their windows as a large crowd gathered outside the tower block.

One resident, Mary Todd, who lives in Cobbinshaw House, said she heard the man shouting before she and her daughter left the building by the back door. Another local resident, Abigail Clegg, said there were many rumours circulating and it was difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, adding that she hopes the situation ends soon.

Community and political reaction

A local MP, Dr Scott Arthur, said he was concerned by the reports coming from Edinburgh and said his thoughts are with all who have been affected. The presence of a large cordon and a visible armed and uniformed response has left neighbours seeking clarity while police continue to manage the scene.

What remains unclear and next steps

Certain details remain unclear in the provided context, including the identity of the suspect and the precise severity of the injuries sustained by the two people taken to hospital. The cordon remained in place into the afternoon as officers managed the response and sought to secure the scene. Firearms officers are routinely deployed to incidents involving knives, and the deployment here included both armed units and specialist support personnel operating at the tower block.

Recent updates indicate the situation involved a prolonged standoff at an upper-floor flat and drew a sizeable public presence; further details may evolve as police continue their response.