Hotel knifeman funeral chaos
Cops break up crowd at attacker’s burial
Police were called to the funeral of a man who stabbed six people in a hotel knife attack after “several hundred” mourners
turned up.
The burial service for Badreddin Abadl la Adam, who was shot dead by officers at the Park Inn, Glasgow, was expected to be held at the city’s Linn Cemetery at 2pm on Saturday.
But police had to break up a crowd of hundreds who were in breach of coronav i rus restrictions. re By 3pm the funeral fu had not begun be and three police po vans were in attendance as off icers tried to disperse disp the large gathering. gath
The T Scot t i sh
Government’s current rules allow for a maximum of 20 guests at funeral services during the latest phase of lockdown.
A police spokeswoman confirmed officers were in attendance “assisting staff with socia l distancing regulations”.
The majority of mourners had to congregate in a nearby car park while the service took place.
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “Several hundred people turned up and, unfortunately, the service had to be delayed,until it was safe to proceed in accordance with Scottish Government guidance.
“This was to protect the health of the funeral party as well as our staff on site.”
The 28-year-old, from Sudan, was shot by off icers after injuring six people, including 42-year-old police constable David Whyte, in the attack at the Park Inn hotel in June.
At the t i me of the attack, Adam was being temporarily housed in the city centre hotel that was used as accommodation for asylum seekers during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was described as a “quiet and polite and decent guy” by asylum seekers who were also residing there.
PC Whyte paid tribute to police and medical staff after leaving hospital a week on from the attack.
He said: “There is no doubt that I face a long road to recovery but I am absolutely determined to be back on duty as soon as I possibly can.
“I would like to thank the medical staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for saving my life and getting me back to where I am today.”