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A 35-year-old man underwent surgery in hospital after he was blasted outside St George's RC Primary in the city's Penilee district shortly after 9am. The victim – leading underworld figure Ross Monaghan – survived the attack and is understood to have made his own way to hospital. It is understood that Monaghan was walking children to the school when he was shot twice.

GOOGLE/SWNS/TWITTER Gunshots were heard just after 9am on Monday morning

One eye-witness claimed the gunman hid the firearm in a child's buggy immediately after firing at Monaghan, 35. Police Scotland deployed a squad of armed officers and the force helicopter to the scene as marked patrol cars sealed off nearby streets Mohammad Almfauani, 33, was taking his two daughters, Renas and Enas, for their first day at St George's when he spotted the gunman and ordered the girls to stay in the car.

James WIlliamson A cordon was quickly set up around the school and surrounding roads

He said: “I can’t believe this has happened. “I stopped my car not far from the school gate and was about to let my daughters out when I spotted two guys walking towards the gate. “I thought one of the guys, couldn’t have been that old, was carrying a gun. I was thinking that the guys must just be playing as this was really close to the school gate.

Glasgow School Shooting Mon, January 16, 2017 Police rushed to the scene near St George’s, in Penilee, after receiving reports of a ‘firearms incident’. Play slideshow James Chapelard / SWNS.com 1 of 10 Police at the scene of a shooting that took place near St George’s RC Primary School where children were being dropped off in the morning.

It was really scary Mohammad Almfauani

“I wasn’t sure if it was real or not but I told my kids to wait in the car just in case. “But then I saw the guy shooting the other, it was so loud. I knew then that it was real." He added: “Parents were arriving and there was a lot of screaming. It was really scary.”

SWNS A 35-year-old man was shot

The gunman is believed to have fled on foot land left the area in a car parked nearby. Police Scotland described the attack as "targeted". Chief Inspector Simon Jeacocke said: “This is a highly unusual incident and understandably, parents, staff, pupils and people in the local community are all very alarmed by this.

“We do believe it was a targeted attack but nonetheless this took place near to a local primary school at the start of the school day, when the area was busy with parents dropping off their children. “Although it would appear that there was an intended victim, anyone could have been injured as a result, putting young children and innocent people at risk." In May 2012, Monaghan walked free from the High Court in Glasgow after he was acquitted of shooting underworld enforcer Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll.

Omg shooting at #StGeorgePrimary in penilee hope no one was hurt — collette (@msmissmoneypenn) January 16, 2017

Carroll, 29, was shot 13 times by two masked gunmen as he sat in his Audi in a car park at Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow, in January 2010. In May 2015, William Patterson – who Monaghan had blamed for the shooting – was jailed for a minimum 22 years for the murder after going on the run in Spain. Patterson denied he was the hitman after it emerged prosecutors had a list of 99 potential suspects who wanted Carroll – notorious for abductions and torture – dead.

Police helicopter out above penilee. Can someone tell me what's happened been there a good while now ������������ @1025Clyde1 pic.twitter.com/HsPuPn088T — Martha Judge (@MarthaJudge) January 16, 2017

Mongahan’s associates later said he “faced down” the gunman and was shot first in the shoulder, spinning him round, and took a second bullet to the back. They claimed one round lodged in his body had had to be removed by surgeons at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow

SWNS Locals have reported hearing a “loud bang like a firework”

A spokesman for St George's confirmed the school remained open. Despite assurances it is believed some worried parents have pulled their kids from class.

All pupils and staff are safe at St George's primary. Police dealing with an incident which happened outside school grounds. — St George's Primary (@StGeorgesG52) January 16, 2017

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police officers are at the school and there is no threat to children or staff at the school. "Police patrols are in the area to provide public reassurance.”

SWNS A spokesman for St George's confirmed the school remained open

Police in Glasgow tweeted: "We are aware of a firearms incident in Penilee this morning. "We do not believe there is any ongoing threat to any other person." They posted: “All pupils and staff are safe at St George's Primary, Penilee. “Police dealing with an incident which happened outside school grounds.”