Suspicious gardens package was ‘explosive’
● Further tests on suspicious package discovered in Princes Street Gardens
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after a suspicious package in Edinburgh city centre was found to be an “explosive device”.
Scottish Government ministers are being updated after tests on the contents of a shoebox and left in a public shelter in Princes Street Gardens.
Initially thought to be an “elaborate hoax” when found on 11 January, police have now said the contraption had the “potential to cause injury”.
Detective Chief Inspector Kenny Armstrong said: “I’m hoping that this further public appeal will encourage people with information – no matter how small – to come forward.
“I’d like to hear from anyone who saw any suspicious behaviour in the immediate vicinity of the Gardens or who has information as to who may be responsible.”
A terrorism expert said it was unlikely to be part of any organised or sophisticated attack on the city.
Dr Tim Wilson, a lecturer at St Andrews University’s Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, said: “This seems odd at every level. It doesn’t seem designed to cause any mass casualties.
“If you wished to do that, why would you target a shelter in Princes Street Gardens and not, say, the Royal Mile?
“It does suggest low capability and amateur abilities – it might possibly be a dummy run that went wrong somehow. Surely you wouldn’t leave this on purpose for forensics [scientists] to crawl all over.”
A park ranger found the box and immediately called police. Army bomb disposal experts from Craigiehall were scrambled and carried out a controlled detonation of the package about three hours after the alarm was first raised.
A “Gold” meeting of senior commanders decided to extend the parameters of the investigation and call in specialist support to conduct a sweep of the area. Counterterrorism police were also brought in.
A trawl of CCTV to identify who left the package proved unsuccessful. Officers said at the time no note was left with the package and no phone call warning was made to emergency services. Passers-by were in the grounds but no evacuation was carried out.
The package is still undergoing more tests, but police refused to give further details about its contents and capability.
An “extensive” investigation is ongoing and more than a dozen detectives were in the park yesterday speaking to passers-by.
Chief Inspector David Robertson, urged people to “remain vigilant, be alert not alarmed, and to report anything suspicious to police”.
Anyone information can contact officers via 101 quoting incident number 1204.