Glasgow attacker’s family ‘shocked’ by stabbings as questions grow
The family of a man shot dead by police following a multiple stabbing in Glasgow city centre have said they are shocked and saddened by what happened.
Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan, was killed after wounding six people, including a police officer, on Friday in the city.
Police are not treating the attack as terrorism.
Adam was named over the weekend by police.
Yesterday, a member of Glasgow’s Sudanese community using the name Almadi, said Adam’s mental state had deteriorated recently and his family were sorry about the people stabbed.
Adam was shot and killed by specialist officers after the incident at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow’s West George Street. He had been staying in the 91-room hotel, along with about 100 other asylum-seekers, after being moved from
flats they were living in during the coronavirus lockdown.
Almadi said Adam had spent a month isolated in his room due to symptoms of Covid-19.
He said: “He was suffering from a lot of mental health problems. He was mentally ill and actually his mental health deteriorated very badly when he stayed in the Park Inn.”
Almadi also said Mr Adam’s family were shocked at Friday’s events.
He said: “They are very shocked and very sad and are hoping the people who were stabbed, they feel very sorry about these people who are stabbed and for their families as well.”
It has been reported but not confirmed that Adam came to the UK six months ago. Police have released limited information as an investigation gets under way.
In a statement confirming Adam’s identity yesterday, Police Scotland said: “The identity is based on information the deceased provided to the Home Office earlier this year.”
It added: “Police Scotland continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident in Glasgow.
“The police discharge of firearms resulting in a fatality will always continue to be fully investigated by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
“Both of those inquiries, which take place under the direction of the Lord Advocate, are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to speculate either about the events or the outcomes of these investigations.”
PC David Whyte, 42, was critically injured as he responded to the incident.
In a statement from his hospital bed at the weekend as his condition was described as stable, he said the scene of the stabbing was “something I will never forget”.
He said: “The incident myself and colleagues faced in West George Street was extremely challenging.
“As the first responders on scene, myself and my colleague did what all police officers are trained for to save lives.”
He also thanked colleagues who put themselves “in harm’s way” to contain the attack.
Police yesterday said the other five people wounded, three asylum-seekersandtwomembers of hotel staff, remained in hospital, one of them in a critical condition.
The injured, all male, are aged 17, 18, 20, 38 and 53.
PC Whyte’s wife Carol took to social media to pay tribute to her husband, posting an image of a thin blue line, with thewords:“becausehe’smine, I hold the line.”
The incident has raised questions about the treatment of asylum-seekers, with charities working in the sector and MPS questioning the decision to move people from the flats they had been housed in into hotels during the lockdown.
There were reports staff at the hotel had been warned that Adam was mentally unstable the night before he struck.
Fellow residents were said to have relayed concerns about his mental state prior to the incident, and that the warning was passed to staff in a phone call on Thursday evening.
One fellow resident was quoted as saying that he had told him he wanted to attack other people in the hotel, including staff.
It was claimed he had been complaining about living conditions in the hotel, and was said to have been having a particular difficulty with noise.
Scottish Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said she is seeking talks with the Home Office this week on the issue.
Yesterday Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “We constantly review the methods around asylum, the accommodation, the provision, the support.”