A Syrian refugee who was nearly killed in a racist knife attack raised concerns for his safety days before he was stabbed, his lawyer has said.

Shabaz Ali was left critically injured after being stabbed six times at a hostel he was staying at in Edinburgh.

Sean Gorman, 18, admitted the attack at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday.

After the hearing, Mr Ali's lawyer gave a statement outside the court on behalf of the victim and his family.

He called on Edinburgh city council to carry out an urgent review into the placing of refugees into homeless accommodation.

He said many refugees were afraid to speak out about the violence they face.

Mr Anwar said: "Only days before being stabbed, he raised concerns for his safety with Edinburgh city council.

"There must be an urgent review by Edinburgh city council of the placement of refugees and other vulnerable people in homeless accommodation."

The stabbing left Mr Ali so badly injured he will require further surgery and may never fully recover.

Shabaz phoned his father Sivan Ali during the attack, and Gorman could be heard to say "why are you still here, why are you not back in your country?"

Mr Anwar said that Shabaz opened his eyes after three days of fighting for his life in hospital.

On waking up, he told his father: "We ran away from war in Syria. I do not want to die here.

"I would rather die with honour and pride in my own country. This country is not safe for me."

Mr Anwar continued: "This family have suffered a great deal but believe their security was put at risk because of Edinburgh city council's inaction.

"There is a belief that the Syrian refugee community is suffering in silence and is too fearful to make complaints because of the high level of publicity surrounding the refugee crisis."

Kate Campbell, the council's housing and economy convener, said: "I appreciate that this has been a terrible time for Shabaz and his family.

"Along with other partners in the city we have done everything we possibly can to support him. I would also stress that we take the safety of everyone placed in temporary accommodation very seriously.

"The Homelessness Task Force has a meeting at the end of August where we will be looking at temporary accommodation and safety measures they have in place.

"Anyone who presents as homeless is vulnerable, but we recognise that people present for different reasons and there are varying degrees of vulnerability.

"We would always look to accommodate people in the most appropriate form of temporary accommodation available, and make sure that there are support services in place while we look for permanent, settled accommodation."