Scotland’s First Minister has accused Elon Musk of spreading “misinformation” following an incident in Dundee where a girl was charged for alleged possession of offensive weapons.
John Swinney said the world’s richest man was trying to “undermine” the social “cohesion” in Scottish communities, which he said was “totally and utterly unacceptable”.
He condemned the “deliberate disinformation” he said was being used to “stoke up fear and alarm” around the country.
Footage of a young girl apparently brandishing weapons has been widely shared on social media, with posts making claims about it gaining millions of views.
Mr Musk – the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter – shared several posts on his site which made claims about the incident, including the migrant status of the people allegedly confronted.
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was previously sentenced for contempt of court, also shared posts making claims around the incident, some of which were shared by Mr Musk.
The incident is understood to have taken place in St Ann Lane in the Lochee area of the city around 7.40pm on Saturday.
Speaking to the PA news agency in Glasgow, Scotland’s First Minister said there was a limit to what he could say about the “misinformation” to avoid prejudicing the case.
“But what is very important,” he said, “is that Police Scotland have issued a warning about deliberate misinformation that is being used to stoke up fear and alarm in our communities.
“I am concerned about that and everybody should be concerned about that because we live in a fundamentally safer country today than we did 40 years ago.
“That’s what all the recorded data told us earlier on this week – we’re living in a safer country than we did 40 years ago.
“But people like Elon Musk, with the misinformation that has been stoked up about this case, are trying to undermine that sense of cohesion within our communities and it is totally and utterly unacceptable, and Police Scotland are absolutely right to call it out.”
Chief superintendent Nicola Russell, who is responsible for Police Scotland’s Tayside division, issued a statement on Wednesday.
She said: “We are aware of misinformation being shared on social media in relation to an incident where a Bulgarian couple were approached by youths in St Ann Lane, Dundee, on Saturday 23 August 2025.
“A 12-year-old girl has been charged with being in possession of offensive weapons. She will be referred to the relevant authorities and our inquiries are ongoing.
“We would like to thank the local community for their help with our investigation and would urge the public not to share misinformation about this incident or speculate on the circumstances.”
Mr Musk has previously caught the ire of another first minister, with former SNP leader Humza Yousaf in January accusing him of trying to “inflame racial tensions”.
The businessman, who was previously one of US President Donald Trump’s closest aids before a falling out, has consistently waded into Scottish and British politics and has clashed with Mr Yousaf on several occasions.
The Tesla owner once branded Mr Yousaf “super racist” during one of their online arguments last year, daring the former first minister to sue him.
