A SCOTS Tory councillor has been suspended by the party following comments over wishing to see members of Islamic State in the home of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Gordon McCaskill, a councillor in East Renfrewshire, said on Twitter he would like to see refugees fleeing Syria and accommodated by the First Minister transpire to be members of the international terrorist group.

He was responding to comments made by Ms Sturgeon that she would personally be willing to take in refugees to her own home.

Mr McCaskill, who described himself as a "man of the people, councillor, historian, bon vivant, raconteur and wit" on his Twitter biography, said on Monday on the social media site: "Scenes we'd like to see: the refugees Nicola invites into her house are Daesh moles."

The Herald:

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “Mr McCaskill has been suspended as a member of the party with immediate effect subject to an investigation.”

It is not the first time the maverick councillor, who leads the Tories in East Renfrewshire, has made the headlines over comments about Islamic extremism.

The retired police officer, who was selected to stand for the Tories in Glasgow South West during the Westminster elections, called on the Scottish Parliament to rubber stamp the "immediate and permanent arming of all our officers”.

He said attacks in the Canadian capital Ottawa in October 2014 and at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris in January this year indicated a growing threat to officers in Scotland from Islmaic terror groups.

He came under fire in 2011 during the English riots when he suggested looters should be shot and strung up, describing how looters in San Francisco 100 years ago were killed and hung from lampposts and claiming it should give UK politicians "food for thought"

Asked whether he regretted posting the comment, Mr McCaskill said: “I have no comment to make. Any comment will come from the party press office.”

When asked further whether he would be removing the tweet he added: “I have received no instruction to that effect.”

Mr McCaskill later removed the tweet.