Officers from the police bomb squad attended a street at the foot of Edinburgh Castle following the discovery of a suspicious package.
It is understood the item was discovered on Kings Stable Road, close to the popular tourist destination, shortly after 5.30pm on Thursday.
The road, which runs below the castle’s cliffs between Lothian Road and West Port, was closed while officers conducted their inquiries.
Neighbouring Castle Terrace was also closed and pedestrians were prevented from entering Princes Street Gardens as a precaution.
Officers from the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and the Royal Logistics Core attended, with the incident closing the streets for the majority of Thursday night.
A police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we’re dealing with a suspected suspicious package in the Edinburgh Police area.
This incident still remains ongoing. Surrounding roads have been closed off as a precaution while Explosive Ordinance Disposal are dealing. Princes Street Gardens also closed to pedestrians. We thank the public for their patience and will update when we can. https://t.co/JYE54sbDe1
— Police Scotland Control Rooms (@polscotcontrol) January 11, 2018
“Kings Stables Road are Castle Terrace are closed to facilitate this. We do not currently believe the item is a danger to the public.”
According to The Sun newspaper, a controlled explosion has been carried out.
