A chef sparked a terrorism alert after sending threatening photos over WhatsApp during a dispute over a television.
Khalid Iqbal sent photos of himself wearing a stab proof vest and holding a knife to his throat to his former restaurant boss.
Iqbal, 38, wanted help in “stitching up” a colleague who was feuding with him over the purchase of a TV.
But after ex-employer Neil Williams called police, officers contacted the counter-terrorism unit to help trace Iqbal over fears the public may be at risk.
Firearms officers were deployed during Iqbal’s arrest at his Edinburgh home.
Iqbal appeared at the city’s sheriff court on Friday and pled guilty to sending threatening and abusive messages and photos to Neil on social media.
Fiscal depute Lynsay Magro said Iqbal had been working as a chef at a Cafe Andaluz in Edinburgh but left in July 2019 over a pay dispute.
Ms Magro said Iqbal was living with his wife and a workmate but asked the man to leave.
Ms Magro said Iqbal sent text messages to his ex-boss Neil on February 23 last year asking for “chef equipment to be returned to him”.
She said Iqbal later told Neil about the TV dispute and asked for help “stitching up” his flatmate whom he also accused of stealing from his locker.
The prosecutor said Neil received two images over WhatsApp the next day which both showed Iqbal wearing a “stab proof vest”.
She said Iqbal was “holding a knife to his throat in a threatening manner” in the first photo while the second showing him wielding the knife attached to a cord.
An accompanying message said, “Don’t f*** with what you don’t know. Promises in this league stay out.”
Neil alerted the police, Ms Magro said, and officers viewed the images. She said police were concerned about a possible threat to the “wider public” and “contacted the counter-terrorism unit to establish the whereabouts of the accused in an effort to trace him”.
The court heard cops obtained a search warrant and went to Iqbal’s address with firearms officers in support.
Iqbal was arrested and taken to St Leonards police station, Ms Magro added, and after being charged Iqbal replied: “You’ve seen the vest. That’s not improvised or nothing.”
Officers recovered the tactical vest and knife from Iqbal’s home.
Defence agent John Good said his client, of the city’s Moredun area, had “ongoing psychological issues”.
Sheriff Chris Dickson deferred sentence until next month for reports.
