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Police Scotland make further gangland feud arrests

BBC A Police Scotland van parked at the side of a road. It has blue and florescent yellow markings on the side, and a large blue Police Scotland logoBBC
Police Scotland have made 44 arrests during Operation Portaledge

Two more arrests have been made in connection with a gangland feud across central Scotland, taking the total number of arrests to 44.

Police Scotland launched Operation Portaledge in response to a series of assaults, shootings and firebombing incidents in Glasgow and Edinburgh since March.

The force said a 25-year-old man was arrested and charged after a firearm was recovered from Roseburn Path in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Officers also arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with fire-raising of a vehicle on Peacocktail Close in Edinburgh on 16 May.

Meanwhile, detectives are investigating whether an incident at a property on Walter Scott Avenue in Edinburgh is linked to the dispute.

A police spokesperson said a window was discovered damaged at a property in the street on Friday.

A blue sign which reads 'police road closed' placed on a residential street with a row of cars parked to the left hand side
Police are keeping an open mind as to whether an incident on Walter Scott Avenue in Edinburgh is linked to the ongoing feud

In a separate development, a 21-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with wilful fire-raisings at two properties in Glasgow and one in Shotts, North Lanarkshire, in April.

Officers also executed warrants at addresses in South Queensferry and Edinburgh on Friday.

Det Ch Sup Dave Ferry said police were continuing to follow a number of lines of positive inquiry and thanked local communities for their support.

He added: "Our continued activity and arrests show our commitment to targeting organised crime and bringing those responsible to justice."

More than 8,000 homes have been visited and over 1,600 vehicles stopped as part of the current investigation.

Timeline: How the gang feud developed

  • A series of attacks began on 2 March when a car was set on fire in Edinburgh's Parrotshot area
  • A beauty salon in Leith and a garage in Portobello were also targeted over a 10-day period
  • Later, shots were reported as being fired at two properties in Niddrie and Pilton in separate incidents
  • Further firebomb attacks were reported on another house in Niddrie at the start of April, just as the first property in Glasgow was targeted in the Robroyston area
  • A carpet business in Bishopbriggs and another commercial premises in Kirkintilloch were also hit, alongside homes in Glasgow and Stepps
  • In April, a 72-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were assaulted at a house in Egilsay Crescent in Milton, Glasgow
  • Two more properties in Bishopbriggs were set alight
  • Two men were taken to hospital following a serious assault at a garage in East Kilbride on 19 May
  • A 54-year-old man needed hospital treatment after he was attacked by a group of men at a house at Pitcairn Grove, Edinburgh - the third time an incident was reported at this property
  • A large house in the Bridge of Weir was set alight on 2 June
  • Police recover firearm believed to be linked to violence from Roseburn Path in Edinburgh