Third suspect arrested over racially motivated assault on Edinburgh shop workers

Police Scotland has arrested a third teenager in connection with an incident of racial abuse and physical assault against two shop workers in Edinburgh.

Two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were earlier nabbed by the investigators and charged over the incident happened at the Hay Convenience Store on Hay Avenue on 23 January.

A third teenage boy, aged 16, was arrested on January 29.

Police said two men, aged 38 and 49, were racially abused before being physically assaulted.

NFRN revealed that its members Nadeem and Mudassar Akbar from the Niddrie area of Edinburgh were the victims of the attack.

“These incidents of attacks against independent retailers going about their business in their local communities is happening far too often,” said Stuart Reddish, national president of the federation.

The siblings told the Daily Record that the attack appeared as a premeditated one.

“This gang were already waiting for us, like it was planned, and started shouting racist language. Two or three had crowbars and one had a really big kitchen knife,” Mudassar said.

The gang of around 20 assailants, captured on CCTV cameras, showered them with racial slurs and asked “Why did you come to this country?” before pouncing on them on their way from the store to adjoining car park.

Nadeem suffered a blow on the head with a crowbar that left a bloody wound, while Mudassar was repeatedly punched in the face.

“Luckily a big local guy who comes to the shop passed by and he shouted at them to stop and they ran away,” Nadeem said.

They said the gang used to frequent the premises for about two months, terrorising customers with their racial abuse and attacks at the shop.

“This group have been hanging around the shop, making trouble. It’s mostly local boys, but some girls, aged 14 to 16,” Mudassar said.

“We’ve phoned the police nearly every day about them. We have a post office here and some of the pensioners who use it are scared to come in. It’s been two months of racist abuse, shoplifting, intimidating customers, coming into the shop and throwing things around.

“The racist language is ‘P*** b******’, ‘Go back to your own country’,‘We’re going to kill you and burn down your shop’. We’ve had some great support from our customers though, and we won’t let these people drive us out.”

Chief Inspector Gill Geany, Edinburgh North East Area Commander, said: “This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and I want to thank the local community for all of their support and assistance during this enquiry.”

Anyone with any information on this incident can contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3092 of 23 January, 2020.