Humza Yousaf has hit out at online abuse saying the levels of violence directed towards politicians is now "the worst he has ever seen".

The Justice Minister published the latest threat made against him on Twitter to highlight his point, although he declined to name the person who sent him the message.

In a Tweet directed at the MSP, the unamed individual says he wished he had 'cracked' [punched] Mr Yousef when he met him at the Scottish Parliament.

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Mr Yousaf branded the poster a "numpty", but said that such threats could not be ignored safely. 

He Tweeted: "We all have a right to feel safe at our work, Parliamentarians included. I am sure this numpty is all talk, but what if he isn't? 

"I welcome robust debate but the amount of violence directed towards women & minorities in politics is worse than anything I have ever witnessed."

Mr Yousaf's statement on social media comes after former SNP councillor Rosa Zambonini revealed she had received a message from a Facebook user threatening to "rape and kill" her.

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Police are now probing the communication, however, the user appears to have deleted their account.