David Hamilton, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, tells the BBC News Channel his thoughts are very much with the police officer who is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

"We are hoping he pulls through from this," he says. "We are making sure we are giving his family the appropriate support."

Mr Hamilton said that officers were met with "a pretty difficult scene" at the Park Inn Hotel.

"As a consequence of dealing with that, people have been injured and tragically some people killed - including one of our officers. There is really not a lot more I can say about it than that.”

Mr Hamilton said the area in West George Street will be "closed down for some time yet".

"The priority is preserving the scene until a number of inquiries are done," he explained. "Not only will there be a criminal investigation, there will be an investigation by the independent review commissioner, who looks at the police actions.

"This will be a closed-down scene for some time yet. We will try to get things moving as quickly as possible but there are a lot of inquiries and investigations to be done.”

Reevel Alderson
BBC Scotland Home Affairs correspondent

This major incident happened at about 12:50 in the Park Inn Hotel in West George Street.

The hotel has been used since lockdown to house asylum seekers moved from other accommodation.

We know that a man attacked other people in the hotel and we have been told there was a lot of blood around the reception area.

Early sources suggested that receptionists were the victims of stabbings but this has not been confirmed.

Armed police were called and there was a massive police presence.

The man at the centre of the stabbings was shot dead.

The Park Inn where the incident took place was being used to house asylum seekers during lockdown.

Robina Qureshi, director of charity Positive Action in Housing, said 370 refugees and asylum seekers had been "forcibly removed into hotels" across Glasgow at the beginning of April by the Mears Group.

She told BBC Radio Scotland: "These people were very, very vulnerable. They are people who have suffered trauma, torture or mental health issues as a result of years of waiting for their asylum cases."

Image source, PA Media

Chris Falchi-Stead was hosting a meeting at the Big Issue office, close to the hotel where the stabbings took place.

"All we could hear were police cars and ambulances just driving past constantly," he told the BBC News Channel.

"When we looked out the window we noticed there must have been 20 or 30 police cars and about 10 ambulances. They're all still there now.

"There were certainly a lot of unmarked police cars driving past with armed police inside."

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

A well-placed Whitehall source says at this stage it's believed that three people have died in the Glasgow incident - including the suspected attacker.

It's thought two were fatally stabbed and the attacker was shot dead.

The motive for the stabbings is still being investigated and it is "too early" to say if it's related to terrorism, the source says.

Image source, SNS

Eye witness Craig Milroy was in the building across from the Park Inn Hotel and caught the tail-end of the incident.

"We heard a commotion and when I went outside, I saw a man on the ground with what looked like a stab wound with no top on and no shoes on being held on the ground," he tells BBC Radio Scotland.

"After that, the ambulance showed up, they put pressure on the wound, put him on gas and air and then took him away."

Mr Mulroy admits it was not immediately clear what had happened.

"We thought it was just a man who had fallen to the ground, but it was when we saw the armed police on the scene," he says.

"We saw police going into the building and many casualties coming out."

Mr Mulroy says he and his colleagues were told to go back into their office and lock the door - and were there for some time before being allowed out.

"It is not something you expect to see on a Friday in Glasgow," he adds. "It was a bit of a shock."

Image source, PA Media

Graham Stewart
BBC Scotland

The incident happened at the Park Inn Hotel on West George Street in the centre of Glasgow.

What we know about this hotel is that it during the pandemic it has been housing asylum seekers.

We have spoken to a number of eye-witnesses who were in the hotel at the time and we understand that three people were stabbed to death in the stairwell to the hotel.

Police Scotland are saying that armed police officers attended the incident and a male suspect was shot dead by an armed officer.

They are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

They did confirm a police officer was injured while dealing with the incident.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

I'm hearing three people are dead following the incident in Glasgow city centre - including the attacker.

That’s from a well-placed Whitehall source.

Susan Aitken, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "We still don’t know exactly what has happened it’s clear something devastating and tragic has taken place in our city today.

"My heart is with the victims and their loved ones. Glasgow must pull together and support each other to recover from this."

At what point would the police officer have decided to shoot dead the suspect?

"The decision will have been made looking at how dangerous he is to the public as well as to the police," counter terrorism expert David Low suggests on BBC Radio Scotland.

"If he's already killed three people, and reports are it was the stairwell of a hotel, it is pretty obvious that this individual is being pretty serious about how they are using their violence.

"I am surmising now, but warnings would have been given and if they have not adhered to the warnings then, if that armed officer believes they are a danger to the public or that armed officer himself, they will take their life.

"It is a hard decision to make and it is not taken lightly, but you've got to look at the greater safety of the public."

Eyewitness Stuart Gibson, who lives on West George Street near the Park Inn Hotel where the incident happened, told BBC News 24 he saw people getting evacuated from the hotel after police set up a barricade around the area.

"Armed police rushed into the hotel, it made it look as if they were looking for something," he said. "There was certainly one person who was carried out by police."

Mr Gibson, who observed the scene from a window, said police had not evacuated any other buildings, but were not allowing anyone on to the street.

It is thought the Park Inn Hotel is currently being used to house asylum seekers.

"Since lockdown it looks like it has changed and been used more as a hostel; there have been groups of people sitting outside in the last couple of months," Mr Gibson added.

Counter terrorism expert and former police officer David Low tells BBC Scotland: "Someone has had a lethal weapon, a knife is a lethal weapon, so we have seen the armed response from Police Scotland and that's what would be expected to deal with the incident - and individual - and make it safe for everyone.

"It looks like the suspect has been shot dead, so obviously there won't be any interviews, so they will look for any forensic evidence at the scene that is important, identify who this individual is, conduct searches of premises they had under their control and the key thing is to find a motive for this.

"There could be a number of motives for this. Obviously some people might think it is a terrorist incident because we've had a recent tragic event in Reading, but it might not be. It could be a domestic dispute, someone who is having mental health problems.

"It is about being open-minded to find out why this individual carried out this attack."

The stabbings took place right in the centre of Glasgow - near the main shopping area around Buchanan Street and close to Glasgow Central railway station.

ACC Johnson said: "I would like to reassure the public that at this time we are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident.

"I can also confirm that a police officer was injured while dealing with the incident and that officer is receiving treatment in hospital."

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said: "The individual who was shot by armed police has died. Six other people are in hospital for treatment to their injuries including a police officer, who is in a critical but stable condition."