A machete attack on a man near an Edinburgh retail park is being linked to a gangland war which has rocked the city.
Jason Smith was in a “critical condition” last night after being stabbed in the hands and at the base of his skull.
Sources said the 31-year-old was set upon by a pair of men on a motorbike who ambushed him on Whitehill Road near the Fort Kinnaird complex on Thursday in front of passers-by.
It’s understood Smith tried to run from the machete-wielding thugs but fell over and suffered a vicious assault.
Sources say it’s linked to a string of violent incidents in the capital in recent months.
In March, a man was stabbed in the north of the city.
Sources say the same man was later hunted down in a terrifying high-speed chase by rivals who filmed it.
In the shocking video, a car can be seen racing after a motorcyclist with a passenger screaming, “We’re catching him. We’re catching him. Yas!”
The vehicle passes through two sets of red lights to follow the motorbike during the night-time pursuit.
Following the latest attack, cops, including armed and canine units, swarmed the area.
Sources said the two men on the motorbike pounced on Smith near a Land Rover dealership.
The source said: “The two men ran towards Smith and other men who were with him. They all ran but Smith tripped and the attackers laid into him. They left him a in a bad way.
“It was retaliation as part of a feud which has been running for months.
“It’s getting out of control and someone is going to end up dead.”
A pal of Smith was said to have been in Nando’s restaurant at Fort Kinnaird shortly before the attack.
A source told the Record that Smith suffered severe stab wounds. His right wrist was badly injured after being hacked by a blade along with wounds to the base of his skull and forearm.
Passers-by were photographed coming to his aid as he lay stricken on the ground.
A police spokesman said: “We were made aware of a man being injured following a disturbance next to Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh, around 5pm on Thursday.
“A 31-year-old man was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious injuries where he remains in a critical but stable condition.”
They appealed for witnesses and released descriptions of the suspects.
The driver was dressed in black with a black helmet, while the passenger was wearing a jacket with a red body and grey sleeves, a dark cap and a snood/dark face covering.
They were travelling on a distinctive off-road/scrambler bike which was mainly blue, with red and white livery.
Locals reported seeing a helicopter in the area at the time. Sources are linking the attack to the video pursuit of a motorcyclist a fortnight ago.
The 39-second clip shot at night was filmed by one of the passengers through the front windscreen. It shows the street still busy with traffic.
One man can be heard shouting: “Go. Go. Go. F***ing catch him. Catch him. Through that red light. F***ing catch him.”
Ahead of them, a figure on a motorbike can be seen.
As the car speeds though the red light, the passenger says: “Yas.” He continues: “F***ing get him. You little f***ing p***k.
A second passenger says: “Watch. Slow doon. Be careful.”
As the car gets closer to the motorbike, the first man says: “We’re catching him. We’re catching him. Yas.”
He tells the driver “go through” and the vehicle follows the bike running another set of red lights. He adds: “Keep going, keep going, pal, please. We need to get him.”
The man shouts: “Yes, yes, yes, yes” as the car catches up with the bike at a roundabout before the clip ends.
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