A man has suffered “the worst injuries doctors have seen” in a machete attack.
Medics were yesterday battling to save one of the 28-year-old’s terribly wounded hands after police say he was “targeted” by thugs.
His assailants held him down in the horror attack in Pilton, Edinburgh, and tried to hack off his hands and legs.
Police said two vehicles, later found burnt out, were believed to have been used by the attackers. They have launched an attempted murder probe.
A source close to the investigation said: “He has some of the worst injuries doctors have seen in a while. They are truly horrific.
“The doctors are trying to save his hand but it’s difficult to say what will happen. The attackers tried to chop off his hands and legs while holding him down.”
Sources say the assault is part of a new gang war which has erupted between rival groups in the capital.
It was the first of two assaults with a machete in less than 24 hours in the city and officers said they are keeping an “open mind” on whether the incidents are linked. The badly injured man, who is being treated at the Western General Hospital, was assaulted at about on Thursday, January 5.
The following evening, convicted heroin dealer Edmond Reid – who has links to Scots cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson – was confronted by a man wearing a balaclava and brandishing a machete.
Reid, 36, escaped unhurt from the incident in Cumnor Crescent in Inch.
An earlier incident saw a man linked to another drug baron and Richardson rival attacked with a blade in Dalkeith, Midlothian. The last feud between the pair saw T2 Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh gunned down outside his New Town address in 2019.
Richardson is linked to the Daniels crew while the other gangland boss is associated with the Lyons clan.
The man injured in Pilton is said to have “life-changing injuries” as treatment continues.
The incident took place in West Pilton Terrace, where officers responded to reports of a man being assaulted.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen two vehicles, a dark coloured VW Golf and a blue Ford Focus ST, in the area at the time.
A blue Ford Focus ST was discovered burnt out at Fyles Farm, Tranent, East Lothian, on Saturday, January 7, while a dark coloured VW Golf was found burnt out at Howe Dean Path, in the city’s Braid Hills, on the same day.
A police spokesman said: “Extensive inquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible and we are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or may have information to come forward.
“We believe this was a targeted attack and we do not believe there was any risk to the wider public.”
Reid was ambushed by a man in a brown Mitsubishi Outlander. The car had been stolen in the capital's Cramond and was discovered on fire on Monday.
Reid was jailed for three years in January 2015 for his role in a drug gang after police bugged a van to bust their trafficking network.
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