THE Scottish Refugee Council has put out a statement following the knife attack at a Glasgow city centre hotel housing asylum seekers yesterday.

Six people, including a police officer named as Constable David Whyte, were injured during the incident at the Park Inn Hotel on West George Street.

Three of the people who were injured were asylum seekers, Police Scotland said, while two were members of staff.

All of those injured in the attack are in hospital, with one in a critical but stable condition and the others in a stable condition.

The suspect was shot by armed police and died at the scene.

Police Scotland has said the attack is not being treated as terrorism and has launched an appeal for any witnesses to come forward.

Sabir Zazai, chief executive of Scottish Refugee Council, says the organisation is “completely devastated” by what happened – and released a full statement on the incident.

The statement is published in full below.

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We are completely devastated by what happened at the Park Inn. It is difficult to process that this has happened in Glasgow, yards from our office, in our city which has done so much to welcome newcomers over the years.

We are devastated for everyone affected by this: hotel guests, staff, contractors and the police and emergency services.

We know that people beyond this are also affected, including the wider refugee and asylum communities in Scotland, many of whom have lived through extremely traumatic experiences and came to Scotland seeking safety and protection from violence. We are keeping our helpline open throughout this weekend for anyone who needs our support.

We know too that all of us in Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, will be affected in different ways by this. We call for a united and dignified response in sorrow at this horrific event, and a commitment to continue our joint work to build a society where everyone is included, supported and valued.

We have expressed repeated concern over the last three months about the use of hotel accommodation for people in the asylum system. These are people who have lost their homes and livelihoods and are desperate for a new start, but who otherwise are no different from the rest of us in Glasgow.

It has always been our belief that people who are in Scotland seeking refugee protection require and deserve safe, secure accommodation – a home – from which to rebuild their lives. Temporary accommodation can never fulfil this.

Until more facts are confirmed about what happened yesterday we will not be able to comment further on the issue of hotel accommodation. But we stand ready as always to work in partnership with all relevant parties to support people and seek a swift end to the use of temporary accommodation in Glasgow.