Six appear in court charged with 'Edinburgh abduction and firearms offences'

Six people have appeared in court charged in connection with an abduction in Edinburgh and a number of firearms offences.

At around 10.30pm on Thursday, officers received a report that a man had been abducted in the Canonmills area of the city.

A 22-year-old man was later traced in the Longniddry area of East Lothian on Friday and taken to hospital as a precaution.

Detectives believe the incident was “targeted”.

On Monday, five men and one woman appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with a number of offences, including abduction, assault to severe injury and intent to rob.

Bugra Has, 21, Achile Keita, 23, Mustafa Merghani, 22, Ashawn Studholme, 21, Robert McKinney, 45 and Danielle Whyte, 40 all made no plea and were remanded in custody.

Keita, of no fixed abode, Studholme, from Glasgow, Has and Merghani, both from Edinburgh, McKinney and Whyte, both from East Lothian, were also charged with three firearms offences each, including possession of a prohibited weapon and obtaining ammunition without a firearms certificate.

Has faces a further charge of possessing a bladed weapon, while Merghani was also charged with driving while uninsured.

All six are due back in court within the next eight days.