A gymgoer sparked the evacuation of an Edinburgh shopping complex by phoning cops and telling them he’d planted a nail bomb.
Robert Kirk claimed the device was inside the city's Cameron Toll Shopping Centre and warned it would detonate in 30 minutes.
Kirk, 27, who had worked out in the centre’s gym earlier that day, told the 999 operator he’d purchased parts for the explosive using “cryptocurrency on the dark web”.
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Police evacuated parts of the centre and inspected the bag that Kirk left outside the Sainsbury’s store, reports the Daily Record. But they discovered it contained only gym equipment and arrested Kirk who had remained on scene.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday how Kirk hadn’t been suffering from any mental illness at the time of the incident. Sheriff Alistair Noble was told Kirk’s motivation for carrying out the terrifying hoax was a “sensitive matter”.
The sheriff was passed a police intelligence report to read on the subject, but the mysterious contents weren’t disclosed publicly.
Kirk appeared at the court to plead guilty to a charge of conducting himself in a disorderly manner by telling emergency services he’d planted a bomb and causing the centre’s evacuation
Fiscal depute Connor Muir said Kirk went to the gym at the centre with pal Jamie Scott at around 3pm on April 10 last year.
Mr Muir said Jamie found his friend to be “slightly agitated” and a “wee bit funny” when they made to leave at 4.15pm following their workout.
Kirk made a comment that “something would happen” if he went outside, the court heard, and he remained behind on his own. Jamie was concerned about his friend, Mr Muir said, and phoned Kirk’s flatmate to ask him to call when he arrived home.
He also sent a message to Kirk telling him to “get some sleep” as he’d been at a party the previous evening and “did not rest well in between”.
The flatmate called Kirk at 7.30pm and found he was still in the centre and acting in a “strange manner”, telling him “something would happen if he left”.
Fifteen minutes later, Kirk called 999 and reported a bomb threat at the centre, telling the operator the homemade device was in a bag on a bench opposite Sainsbury’s.
Mr Muir said: “He stated the device was going to go off in 30 minutes and he was waiting nearby about 50 metres away.
“He made comments that he was the ‘enemy of all mankind’.”
Police arrived within ten minutes and spotted the bag described by the accused. They found Kirk who told them he was “intent on destruction” and there was a nail bomb inside it.
Officers carried out the evacuation while senior colleagues with firearms and explosives experience, Inspector Catherine Thorburn and Sergeant Roderick Chill, arrived on scene.
They quizzed Kirk about the bomb and his inability to answer their questions gave them confidence it was a hoax.
The bag was checked and found to contain gym gear and Kirk, of Caerphilly, Wales, was arrested.
Defence agent Charles Morrison said he would reserve his mitigation until reports were compiled on his client.
Mr Morrison said “mental health issues” were not behind the hoax, adding the motivation was a “sensitive matter”.
After Sheriff Noble read the police intelligence document, he deferred sentence for reports until next month.
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