Liam McDermid, Denin Mackenzie appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff court while a third man was reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
19:14, 16 Jun 2025Updated 19:25, 16 Jun 2025
Masked figures firebombed several properties.
Two men have appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged gangland firebomb attack and the recovery of a firearm.
Liam McDermid and Denin Mackenzie were taken into custody by officers investigating a spate of violent incidents across Edinburgh and Glasgow.
They appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to face a number of charges.
McDermid, 25, was arrested and charged after a firearm was found at Roseburn Path in Edinburgh, on Wednesday, June 11.
He appeared in the dock to face a charge relating to being involved in serious organised crime under Section 28(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.
He made no plea and was remanded into custody.
A hooded gangster setting fire to the front door of a house in Glasgow. (Image: Supplied)
Raids also took place at addresses in South Queensferry and Edinburgh after a vehicle was firebombed while parked on Peacocktail Close in Edinburgh on Friday, May 16.
Mackenzie, of Edinburgh, was taken into custody by police and appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, June 16, where he faced five charges.
The 22-year-old was charged with two counts of knife possession, one charge of wilful fireraising and one charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive way and one of vandalism.
The vandalism charge was in relation to a property.
He made no plea and was remanded into custody.
Both men are expected to appear in the dock again next week.
A 21-year-old man was also detained in the raids and has reported to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with wilful fireraisings at three properties in April.
Homes in Glasgow’s Gala Street and Ashgill Road, and Meadow Court in Stepps, North Lanarkshire, were allegedly torched in the early hours of April 7.
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We told how footage of attacks at properties in April appeared on a chilling video shared on social media.
Masked assailants could be seen dousing the front door of a home with accelerant. Another clip showed flaming projectiles being thrown into windows at a property.
The Belle Cheveux beauty salon in Edinburgh was torched on March 6. (Image: Supplied)
On Monday detectives arrested another man in connection with an alleged firebombing on March 6 at Edinburgh beauty salon Belle Cheveux. The owner of the premises has previously been linked to Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson.
It takes the number of arrests in Police Scotland’s Operation Portaledge to 45.
The force said a dedicated team of officers from the Specialist Crime Division are continuing to crackdown on spiralling violence across Scotland’s two biggest cities.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “Our continued activity and arrests show our commitment to targeting organised crime and bringing those responsible to justice.
“We continue to investigate and follow a number of positive lines of enquiry. The support and response from the public has been excellent, and I am grateful for the assistance given to us.
“That continued support from local communities is crucial as we progress our enquiries. If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.