Investigators are probing two alleged petrol bombing attacks at pubs belonging to a former St Johnstone hero in Edinburgh.
Police and fire crews were called out to Leith watering holes The Four in the Hand, on Easter Road, and The Tor, on Restalrig Road, in the early hours of Sunday.
Both premises, owned by turn-of-the-millennium St Johnstone star Paul Kane, were ablaze when emergency services arrived.
It is believed containers of flammable liquid had been set alight and hurled into both of the buildings.
A police spokesperson said nobody was hurt at either of the 999 call-outs – which were made just 15 minutes apart.
The timing has led investigators to believe the two attacks are linked.
It is understood Mr Kane, 53, who played more than 130 times for the Perth club between 1997 and 2002, was in England at the time of the fires.
Police are now spooling through CCTV footage as part of their investigations
Officers believe the same culprits are behind both fires, and are appealing for information from anyone who could help with their inquiries.
A fire service spokesperson said: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 3.36am and 3.42am on Sunday, January 27 to reports of a fire within a pub in Edinburgh
“Operations Control mobilised four fire engines to the city’s Easter Road and four fire engines to the city’s Restalrig Road, where firefighters extinguished the fires.
“Crews left the scene after ensuring the area had been made safe.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police in Edinburgh are investigating following two deliberate fires in the north of the city.
“The first incident happened at around 3.40am on Sunday, January 27, at a premises on Easter Road.
“The second incident happened at around 3.55am on Sunday, January 27, at a premises on Restalrig Road.
“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended and safely extinguished the flames.
“No-one was injured as a result.
“A joint investigation is ongoing with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Services into both incidents, which officers are treating as linked.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Gayfield CID via 101.
