Mac 10, an automatic weapon "strong possibility" that shots fired at a private hire cab in Granton a shooting outside the Gauntlet pub in Broomhouse

Police said there was a "strong possibility" that shots fired at a private hire cab in Granton and a shooting outside the Gauntlet pub in Broomhouse a few days later were linked.Sources said criminals from the north of the Capital have found themselves locked in battle for almost a year with a hardened gang of young dealers from Gilmerton and the Inch. It was even claimed that one gang in the area had managed to obtain a machine gun and that a rival gang had managed to obtain a Mac 10, an automatic weapon.Gangs were said to have become embroiled in a string of "tit-for-tat" shootings, including the attacks at the Gauntlet and on the cab. Other incidents involving the gangs since mid-August are said to include:

Two gunmen on a motorbike who fired shots from a semi-automatic pistol at a man from Broomhouse while he sat in his van.
A gang member shot in the face in Drylaw who was left with four shotgun pellets lodged in his skull.
An alleged heroin dealer from Craigmillar who had his front window shot at by the motorbike gunmen.

"This is a feud which has got out of control."
Police admitted they were investigating the possibility the series of incidents were both gang and drugs related.