Police officer in stable condition after Glasgow hotel stabbing

Police monitor George Square in Glasgow on June 27, 2020. PHOTO: AFP

GLASGOW (AFP) - A policeman wounded in a Glasgow hotel multiple stabbing which left six injured and the attacker dead was in a stable condition on Saturday (June 27), Scottish police said.

"Police Constable David Whyte, who was injured in the incident in West George Street, #Glasgow, on Friday, June 26, is now in a stable condition in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital," Police Scotland said in a tweet.

Whyte, 42, was injured as he responded to an incident at the Park Inn Hotel, which housed asylum seekers.

The five other male victims also remained in hospital.

The alleged attacker was shot dead by police at the scene.

Officers on Saturday guarded the street where the attack happened.

Scotland's first minister 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 hotel was thought to be housing around 100 asylum seekers during the coronavirus pandemic and charities on Saturday voiced their concerns about conditions and its impact on guests.

"They were effectively told to stay inside their hotels throughout this pandemic, and that was three months now that has been going on," Robina Qureshi, executive director of Positive Action Scotland, told AFP.

"And so they were left in those conditions and the number of cases of people saying that they were suicidal or expressing thoughts of suicide or suffering severe depression as result of this lockdown had rocketed."

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.