Glasgow stabbings: Suspect warned of carrying out attack at hotel

The man suspected of stabbing six people at a Glasgow hotel, including a police officer, warned about carrying out the attack the night before he went on the rampage, it has emerged.

A bouquet of flowers are left close to the scene where a man was shot dead after a multiple stabbing in a central Glasgow hotel. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The attacker, who was shot dead by police at the scene, told a fellow resident he wanted to carry out an attack with concerns about his behaviour then raised with hotel staff.

The attack took place on Friday at Park Inn Hotel on West George Street , which is being used to house asylum seekers during lockdown given the difficulties in securing rental accommodation.

A friend and fellow resident of the attacker told ITV News of a discussion he had with the attacker on Thursday night. A meeting was then held with the housing manager on the Friday morning, before the attack took place.

The resident, named only as Siraj, told the broadcaster: “He said ‘I will attack’ so everyone should take it seriously. He said to me. 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.”

It is understood the Sudanese asylum seeker shot dead after the stabbings was in his 20s and named Badradeen.

The incident at the Park Inn Hotel on Friday took place yards from the office of the Scottish Refugee Council, and the organisation said it was "devastated" by the attack.

Six people were injured: PC David Whyte, 42, three asylum seekers who were staying at the hotel and two members of staff.

The policy to house asylum seekers in the hotel has been criticised by campaigners concerned about living conditions.

The Scottish Refugee Council said it had expressed "repeated concern" about the housing of asylum seekers in hotels, saying the policy should be brought to an end quickly.

Chief executive Sabir Zazai said: "We are completely devastated by what happened at the Park Inn.

"It is difficult to process that this has happened in Glasgow, yards from our office, in our city which has done so much to welcome newcomers over the years.

"We are devastated for everyone affected by this - hotel guests, staff, contractors and the police and emergency services."

The charity will be keeping its helpline for asylum seekers open over the weekend, he said, as many would have fled "traumatic experiences" in their home countries.

He said: "We know too that all of us in Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, will be affected in different ways by this.

"We call for a united and dignified response in sorrow at this horrific event, and a commitment to continue our joint work to build a society where everyone is included, supported and valued.

"We have expressed repeated concern over the last three months about the use of hotel accommodation for people in the asylum system.

"These are people who have lost their homes and livelihoods and are desperate for a new start, but who otherwise are no different from the rest of us in Glasgow.

"It has always been our belief that people who are in Scotland seeking refugee protection require and deserve safe, secure accommodation - a home - from which to rebuild their lives. Temporary accommodation can never fulfil this.

"Until more facts are confirmed about what happened yesterday we will not be able to comment further on the issue of hotel accommodation.

"But we stand ready as always to work in partnership with all relevant parties to support people and seek a swift end to the use of temporary accommodation in Glasgow."

Last night, The Mears Group, which has the Home Office contract to house asylum seekers in the city, said it was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the tragic events.

A statement added: "We are contracted by the Home Office to provide housing and support services to asylum seekers in Scotland. We will not anticipate a live police investigation, but we can confirm that the attack happened in a hotel where we are housing asylum seekers during the lockdown period.”