New move over suitcase body

Emergency services prepare to remove the body from the river

Detectives may question a man on Wednesday in connection with the discovery of a body in a suitcase in the Water of Leith in Edinburgh.

The body, which was fully clothed and is that of a man in his 20s, had been in the water for several days.

The suitcase was recovered from the river at about 2235 on Monday and police later said they were pursuing a definite lead.

It is understood formal identification has been delayed because the body was badly decomposed.

Police sources have ruled out rumours that the man may have been the victim of a gangland feud.

However, a spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said detectives were confident of finding the killer.

Local reaction

She said: "We've got a fair idea of who we are looking for and are following a positive line of inquiry."

A host of bars, restaurants and shops line the road next to where the body was found, while modern apartment buildings overlook the other side of the water.

Police cordoned off the area with tape and a large tent while divers carried out their work.

The scene of the discovery in daylight

Two of the divers and a firefighter were taken to hospital afterwards amid concerns about pollution in the water.

Locals spoke of their shock at the find. Stuart Masson, 32, assistant manager of The Waterline bar, which is barely 50 yards from where the body was discovered, said: "It caused quite a stir.

"Everybody was in the front of the bar looking out of the windows at what was going on."

Mr Masson said it was the third time in the past six months that a body had been pulled out of the same stretch of water.

He added: "On the last two occasions people had fallen in and drowned and at first we thought the same thing had happened again.

"But I guess people are thinking a bit differently after hearing what really happened."