A man who was stabbed near Princes Street was on leave from Castle Huntly open prison, it has emerged.

The victim, named locally as Sean McGovern, was attacked at Waterloo Place in Edinburgh's city centre on Wednesday.

Two men jumped out of a car shortly before 1pm and approached McGovern, who was waiting for a G4S vehicle to pick him up and return him to the prison.

One of the men stabbed McGovern several times before the two suspects got into a white vehicle and sped off towards Regent Road.

The victim suffered several serious stab wounds and was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

McGovern is serving a sentence at Castle Huntly, near Dundee, for dealing heroin and for firing a shotgun outside the Gauntlet Bar in Broomhouse, Edinburgh, in 2008.

A police spokesman said inquiries into the attack were ongoing and encouraged witnesses to contact 101.