Police Scotland has arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with the racially motivated assault on a delivery driver during disorder in Glasgow city centre last month. He was detained in the Govan area of the city and charged with racially aggravated assault after a video of the attack circulated widely on social media.
The incident happened on 25 July 2026, when a traffic cone was thrown at 31-year-old Muhammad Jawad Yaqoob following an anti-immigration demonstration at Glasgow Green. According to STV News, the assault was reported to police shortly after 1.05pm that day.
What happened during the attack?
Yaqoob had just collected an order from the Palm Tree Kitchen on Bridge Street when he found himself surrounded by dozens of demonstrators. Footage of the incident shows a group of young men shouting abuse before one hurls an orange traffic cone at him, with several onlookers cheering as he flees into a nearby restaurant.
When I crossed the road away from the crowd a man shouted, 'you brownie, you Asian, you Pakistani' and other racial abuse at me.
One guy then tried to hit me with a traffic cone. So I ran around the back of the shop then Uber sent me a message asking me to complete my delivery.
Uber didn't know what had happened to me so I completed my delivery then returned to the shop and said I was going to report it to the police and asked for the CCTV footage.
The restaurant had no CCTV of its own, but Yaqoob reported the assault to officers regardless. He later discovered that footage of the attack had already spread online, reaching as far as his home country of Pakistan.
How has the investigation progressed?
Police Scotland has confirmed that a major investigation team is working to identify further suspects, with additional arrests expected as enquiries continue. Officers have set up a Major Incident Public Portal to gather images, video and witness accounts, and are reviewing CCTV, mobile phone and dashcam footage from the day, according to STV News.
Fifteen people were arrested on the day of the disorder for offences including assault, possession of offensive weapons, breach of the peace, obstruction and resisting arrest, the broadcaster reported. Separately, The National reported that weapons recovered at Glasgow Green suggested some attendees had arrived with the intention of premeditated disorder, violence and intimidation. The same outlet identified the group involved in the protest as Unite the Clans.
Police said the trouble began after a peaceful anti-racism demonstration at Glasgow Green was followed by the arrival of anti-immigration protesters, with disorder subsequently spreading through the city centre. The force said around 1,700 people were involved across various locations, with the unrest coinciding with the opening weekend of the Commonwealth Games, and that a dedicated operation had been put in place to protect public safety and limit disruption.
How has this affected the victim?
Yaqoob, who moved to Glasgow from Pakistan, said the assault had shaken his sense of safety in a city he had previously found welcoming.
Now I am so scared, I am upset.
I haven't been able to go back to my work since the incident. I am fearful it will happen again but I have bills to pay so I can't just sit at home.
He said his broader experience of Scotland had generally been positive, but that the events of that afternoon had left him feeling far from welcome.
How does this fit into a wider pattern?
The arrest follows a series of related incidents Police Scotland has investigated in recent months. A disturbance at a separate Glasgow protest in the Cranhill area in early July led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man, while the wider disorder around Glasgow Green itself resulted in 15 arrests as officers used horses and batons to separate rival groups. Elsewhere in Scotland, a Falkirk takeaway owner has said he was racially abused and attacked in the street, an incident police are treating as a hate crime, while an earlier investigation in Edinburgh examined CCTV footage linked to anti-Muslim attacks that left five people injured.
What happens next?
Police Scotland is continuing to appeal for footage and information through its Major Incident Public Portal, a sign that the investigation remains active and that further arrests are likely as officers work through the evidence gathered from the day.
Key Facts
- A 29-year-old man was arrested in Govan and charged with racially aggravated assault.
- The attack on delivery driver Muhammad Jawad Yaqoob, 31, happened on 25 July 2026 near Glasgow Green.
- Fifteen people were arrested on the day, and police say further arrests are expected.
- Around 1,700 people were involved in disorder that coincided with the Commonwealth Games' opening weekend.
- Police continue to gather CCTV, mobile phone and dashcam footage through a public appeal portal.
