The response to Scotland's first terrorist attack since the emergence of al Qaeda carried a message of "hope and resilience," the First Minister said yesterday.

The response to Scotland's first terrorist attack since the emergence of al Qaeda carried a message of "hope and resilience," the First Minister said yesterday.

Alex Salmond praised the preparedness of police and emergency services who had done "a superb job" after the attack on Glasgow Airport.

He said during a visit to the scene: "Emergency services are going home after a job well done and every person in Scotland should be grateful for their herculean effort to get this airport going and Scotland going again.

"With every passing hour, the country is getting back to business. That is a message of hope and resilience that must overcome the anxiety and fear that the terrorists seek to spread."

Mr Salmond began yesterday by chairing a meeting at Seer, the St Andrew's House equivalent of Cobra in Downing Street. The Scottish Executive Emergency Room will now remain in operation on a 24-hour basis for as long as deemed necessary.

Seer was opened early on Saturday evening just two hours after the airport attack. The First Minister chaired a meeting there and then, on receiving a call from Gordon Brown, was joined by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini to participate in a Cobra meeting via video link.

Before Mr Salmond and Mr MacAskill headed through to Glasgow yesterday, the First Minister said: "We remain in close and regular contact with colleagues in the UK government. There was a further meeting of Cobra at official level today and both administrations will keep the need for further ministerial discussions under review.

"The police are focused on their role in protecting the public, and I want to pay tribute to their dedication and professionalism.

"Terrorism knows no boundaries. It respects no boundaries.

"That is why we are united - governments, law enforcement bodies, and the public - in our shared determination to defeat them."