THE G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005 would put Scotland in “the middle of the frame” for terror attacks, Scottish ministers believed.

Official files released today by the National Records of Scotland show the Scottish cabinet considered the high profile meeting of eight world leaders a major risk to public safety.

The three-day event at the luxury Perthshire hotel discussed climate change and Africa and was hailed by then Labour First Minister Jack McConnell as a great way to promote Scotland to the world.

But behind the scenes, besides tension with the Treasury over spiralling security costs, there was nervousness about the G8 being a magnet for violence. 

However, while there were protests at nearby Auchterarder and in Edinburgh, which included violent clashes with police, the G8 coincided with a deadly terror attack in London.

On the second day of the conference, July 7, three homemade bombs were detonated on the London transport network, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700 in the deadliest terror attack on British soil since Lockerbie in 1988.

The National Records of Scotland release includes previously unseen documents detailing planning for the summit, including a report from the Ministerial Group on Civil Contingencies.

Presented to the Scottish cabinet in March 2005 by Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson, it warned prophetically that the UK capital was “a more likely target than anywhere in Scotland” despite the G8.

The report said: “There is real urgency about this. The threat from terrorism – in terms of conventional chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attacks – remains at a historically high level.

“London is a more likely target than anywhere in Scotland, but the G8 summit will certainly bring Scotland into the middle of the frame temporarily and the east coast oil installations remain a constant concern.”

The records also show that after the attack, UK Transport Secretary and Edinburgh MP Alistair Darling feared for the safety of the Glasgow Underground. 

A cabinet minute said Mr Darling “suggested that the Executive should undertake a major exercise to test the resilience of Scotland’s transport system, in particular the Glasgow underground”.

Despite the London bombings, the summit itself appeared to run smoothly, with a follow-up report by finance minister Tom McCabe saying: “Given the amount of advance pessimism there was remarkably little disruption to the summit, while genuine protesters were able to make their points effectively.”

A total of 11,000 police officers were brought in from across the UK, with arrest numbers ranging from 350 to 500 in some estimates.

The London terror attack also led communities minister Malcolm Chisholm to warn Scottish education chiefs about the risk of anti-Muslim bullying in schools.

The Government records show he also held a number of meetings with the Muslim community to discuss their concerns.

Minutes from the Scottish Cabinet of August 17, 2005 said the discussions led him to conclude the attacks “had had a significant impact on relations with the Muslim community”.

Directors of Education in councils were also warned of the possibility of anti-Muslim bullying in the playground.

The minutes said: “Mr Chisholm said that, in preparation for children returning to school after the summer holidays, he had written to Directors of Education and asked them to be alert to a potential rise in playground incidents.”

Mr Chisholm told colleagues he had also engaged with Glasgow Central Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar, saying it was important to be “proactive” in approach.

The minutes said: “Mr Chisholm said that it was important to maintain the momentum of proactive engagement with the Muslim community and, with that in mind, he was working closely with Mr Mohammed Sarwar, the MP for Glasgow Central, and had arranged further meetings with a number of Muslim groups across Scotland, including women’s and youth groups.

“Other ministers had also met with members of the Muslim community and visited mosques.”