Alex Salmond faces two charges of attempted rape and nine separate sexual assault allegations

The former Scottish first minister insisted he is innocent of any criminality after leaving court

Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond faces two charges of attempted rape and nine other sexual assault charges, following his arrest on Wednesday evening. The charges, released by the Crown office, also include two counts of indecent assault and a breach of the peace. The 64-year-old arrived at Edinburgh Sheriff Court just before 2pm on Thursday afternoon after voluntarily handing himself into police the night before. He entered no plea before being released on bail with no future appearance date set. Speaking after leaving court, Salm0nd said: "Let me say from the outset, I am innocent of any criminality whatsoever. "Now that these proceedings, criminal proceedings are live, it is even more important to respect the court. "And therefore, the only thing that I can say is I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality and I will defend myself to the utmost in court. He added: "I've got great faith in the court system in Scotland." Salmond was Scotland’s first minister from 2007 to 2014 and also served as the Scottish Nationalist leader. He resigned his membership of the SNP in August 2018. Following news of his arrest being made public, Scotland’s current first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that it would be "a shock to many people". But added: "These are now live criminal proceedings and that means now more than ever it would be completely inappropriate for me or anyone else for that matter to make any comment on the situation."