17-year-old appears in court in connection with incident in which man was injured

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A teenager has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged attack on a Syrian refugee.

Campaigners said Shabaz Ali, 25, was seriously injured after being stabbed in Edinburgh on Thursday 3 May. Police Scotland said a 17-year-old man had been charged in connection with the incident.

Anti-racism campaigners have condemned the alleged attack and set up an online appeal for donations “to help Shabaz recover and rebuild his life”.

Sabir Zazai, chief executive of Scottish Refugee Council, said: “Scotland is home to many people fleeing conflict and human rights violations around the world and this attack will not undermine our peaceful coexistence and legacy of a welcoming nation.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police in Edinburgh are investigating after a 25-year-old man was seriously injured at a flat in Upper Gilmore Place shortly after 12am on Thursday 3 May.

“A 17-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with this incident and appeared before Edinburgh sheriff court on Friday 4 May. Anyone with information which may be able to help can contact Gayfield CID via 101.”

• This article was amended on 11 May 2018 to correct the spelling of Shabaz Ali’s first name from Shahbaz.

