A 36-year-old man has been arrested after a series of incidents across West Edinburgh and Leith left four people injured and taken to hospital, as police locked down a major thoroughfare on Friday evening.
Leith Walk was sealed off between Great Junction Street and Duke Street, with traffic diverted and Lothian buses rerouted via London Road and Easter Road. A video posted on TikTok showed a topless man marching along the street holding a blade, though Police Scotland did not confirm whether this was the person arrested. In the clip, marked police SUVs, cars and ambulances filled the scene, with onlookers gathered behind tape. A black vehicle inside the cordon had its driver door open, officers searching it.
“A 36-year-old man has been arrested after four people were injured in incidents across West Edinburgh and Leith.”
“Something major is happening on Leith Walk, it is all taped off with loads of police and ambulances,” one eyewitness told Edinburgh Live.
In a statement on Facebook early Saturday, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 36-year old man has been arrested following a series of incidents at a number of locations across the West of Edinburgh, and Leith, during the evening of Friday, 19 June, 2026. Four people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. We believe there to be no further risk to the public at this time.”
Separately, Edinburgh Airport was evacuated around 6.50pm after a “potentially suspicious package” was found. Passengers were unable to enter the building and those on planes that had already landed were stuck on the tarmac, with some reporting waits of over an hour. All incoming flights were diverted to Glasgow Airport while Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) attended. Police Scotland said the evacuation was precautionary. It is unclear whether the incidents are connected.