Police arrest six men in gangland feud dawn raids

Police have arrested six men during early-morning raids linked to an ongoing gang feud.

Officers from the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, alongside firearms officers, executed warrants at six properties in the Glasgow area.

The media was invited along for one of the raids in Barlanark, while others took place in Maryhill, Hamiltonhill, Milton of Campsie and Wishaw.

There have been a series of assaults, shootings and firebombing incidents in Glasgow and Edinburgh since March, with a total of 32 people arrested.

Ahead of the latest raids, dozens of armed officers, detectives and uniformed police gathered at 04:00 for a briefing at Glasgow's Baird Street station.

Det Chief Constable Jane Connors, one of Police Scotland's most senior officers was in attendance - an indication of the importance of the raids.

In Barlanark, shortly after 05:00, armed officers forced entry to an end terrace house by smashing their way through a large ground floor window.

Detectives led two men in handcuffs outside into unmarked police cars.

The men, aged 31 and 26, were arrested in connection with conspiracy to murder and directing serious and organised crime.

Two men were arrested at a property in Barlanark

In the other raids, a 36-year-old man was also arrested over conspiracy to murder.

A 26-year-old man was arrested over drug offences and a 57-year-old man was arrested in connection with proceeds of crime offences.

In Wishaw, a 42-year-old man was arrested over involvement in serious and organised crime.

A quantity of class B drugs and £46,000 in cash were seized during the operation.

Det Ch Sup David Ferry said: "These arrests continue to highlight the hard work and dedication of officers to target those responsible for these attacks.

"While the number of incidents has continued to decrease since the start of this investigation, I want to reiterate that violence will not be tolerated and will not stop until we bring those responsible for this criminality to justice.

"We are working tirelessly to build cases and are following a number of significant lines of inquiry."

Armed police broke through the window of one property

Meanwhile, police in Edinburgh are investigating whether a deliberate fire attack which saw two vehicles set on fire outside a house in Craiglockhart is connected to the feud.

Fire crews extinguished both the alight cars outside the home on Pitcairn Grove at about 19:45 on Thursday evening.

Police Scotland said three suspects dressed in dark-coloured clothing were seen leaving the scene in a black hatchback towards Greenbank Drive after the incident.

It comes less than a month after a house on the same street was also targeted in a deliberate fire.

How the gang feud developed

A series of attacks began on 2 March when a car was set on fire in Edinburgh's Parrotshot area.

A beauty salon in Leith and a garage in Portobello were also targeted over a 10-day period.

Later, shots were reported as being fired at two properties in Niddrie and Pilton in separate incidents.

Further firebomb attacks were reported on another house in Niddrie at the start of April, just as the first property in Glasgow was targeted in the Robroyston area.

A carpet business in Bishopbriggs and another commercial premises in Kirkintilloch were also hit, alongside homes in Glasgow and Stepps.

In April, a 72-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were assaulted at a house in Egilsay Crescent in Milton, Glasgow.