Police officer injured in Glasgow knife attack in stable condition

West George Street, Glasgow
Published 27th Jun 2020
Last updated 27th Jun 2020

The police officer who was injured in a knife attack at a Glasgow hotel on Friday is now in a stable condition.

Constable David Whyte, 42, was one of six people injured during the incident at the Park Inn Hotel in West George Street on Friday, in which a male suspect was shot and killed by police.

Three of the other people who were injured were asylum seekers, Police Scotland said, while two were members of staff.

All remain in hospital, one in a critical but stable condition, the others in a stable condition.

Mr Whyte's condition was initially described as critical but stable.

On Saturday, Police Scotland, which has said the attack is not being treated as terrorism, launched an appeal for any witnesses to come forward.

Officers were called to the hotel at 12.50pm and the incident was quickly contained'', the force said.

The suspect was shot by an armed unit and died at the scene.

Following an update from Police Scotland on Saturday, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: My thoughts today remain with Constable Whyte - whose bravery we are all deeply grateful for - and the other people who sustained injuries in yesterday's terrible incident. I wish them all a full and speedy recovery.''

The Park Inn hotel was being used to house asylum seekers.

The six injured men are aged between 17 and 53.

Three of the injured people are being treated at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and another three are being treated at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Meanwhile, a man who said he knew the perpetrator claimed he warned of the attack the night before.

Giving his name as Siraj, he told ITV: He said 'I will attack' so everyone should take it seriously.

I told him 'no, there's no need to attack' and he said 'they hate me, I hate them, they are against me'.

He started to say a lot of stuff like that but I said nobody hates you, nobody knows you, nobody knows each other.

I reported him to the hotel reception and then the next day, yesterday morning, the housing manager talked to me and I said to him everything he (the attacker) said to me. And in the afternoon, it happened.''