Tag: Fidra Court

Mair Scran fir Bees in Muirhouse!

Wildflower seeding at May Court and Fidra Court

Join us for creating a bee-friendly installation of the second BEES FIR SCRAN with Artist Natalie Taylor. This time we’ll be at Fidra Court car park verge, which will be seeded with wildflower perennials, which means the installation can be enjoyed for more than just one year.

Wednesday 21 September, 11am to 3pm – Volunteers wanted to help us with some preparation work, drop in any time

Friday 23 September, 2pm to 3.30pm – Main Event: Seeding and seed bombing – All welcome, free event!

SCRAN FIR BEES is supported by The National Lottery: Together For Our Planet Fund.

‘Bomb maker’ doctor jailed

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A former doctor from Syria has been jailed for 40 months for possessing a hoard of explosive ingredients, and instructions on how to prepare bombs, in two North Edinburgh flats.

Last month Faris al-Khori, who is 62, admitted a breach of the 1883 Explosives Substances Act and pled guilty to possessing the explosives at flats at Fidra Court and Persevere Court between 27 December 2007 and 27 April last year.

Passing sentence at Edinburgh’s High Court this morning, Judge Lady Wolffe told al-Khori: “The number and nature of the explosive substances and the places you chose to store them lead me to conclude there is no alternative to a custodial sentence. The sentence is one of five years but in light of your early plea I reduce it to 40 months. It will be backdated and I shall also impose a supervised release order for a period of 12 months.”

Firefighters discovered the potentially lethal ingredients when they were called to tackle a fire in a rubbish chute in Fidra Court. Fire crews forced entry to flats in the high-rise block to check no-one was inside, but when they entered al-Khori’s property they found items that gave cause for concern. The building was evacuated and the find sparked off a further search of a property in Leith’s Persevere Court, where more explosive materials were found.

Despite a subsequent in-depth investigation, police have been unable find any evidence that al-Khori was connected to any terrorist organisation and his reason for stockpiling the explosive components remains a mystery .

Fidra Court explosives: man pleads guilty

Man admits Fidra and Persevere Courts explosives offences

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An Edinburgh man has admitted possessing explosive substances after a significant number of items were found in two properties in the north of the city last year.

Faris Al-Khori, (62), today pleaded guilty under the Explosive Substances Act 1883, Section 4, following the recovery of material from two flats in Fidra Court and Persevere Court (below) last April. He will be sentenced at a later date.

The items were discovered following a fire in a communal area of Fidra Court on Friday 18 April. Both flat complexes were evacuated whilst suspect items were recovered by army explosives experts.

persevere court

Detective Superintendent David Gordon, who led the investigation said: “This was a significant and complex inquiry for Police Scotland, working with our partners from the outset to safely deal with the volatile items that were being stored, and to seek to establish Al-Khori’s motives for keeping them.

“Extensive inquiries both nationally and internationally were carried out, which did not identify any link to terrorism or extremism. We are satisfied there is no immediate threat to the community.

“Counter terrorism is one of Police Scotland’s highest priorities, and whilst Al-Khori has no such known links we will always treat all information received with the utmost importance where any risk to the public is identified. Members of the public can call 101 or the anti terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. We welcome the conviction at the High Court today and await sentencing.”

Fidra Court incident: Man charged

A 61 year old man has been charged under the Explosives Substances Act after an incident in Muirhouse at the weekend.

Fidra Court was cordoned off by police officers on Friday night after a number of suspicious packages were reported. Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene and residents were evacuated until the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police have confirmed that a 61-year-old man has now been charged and he is expected to appear in court later.

Chief Inspector Sara Buchanan said: “We are still in the early stages of our inquiry and I’d like to thank the public for their patience, particularly those who were evacuated at Fidra Court, while we worked to establish the circumstances of this incident.”

Fidra Court