Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, a figurehead of Scotland's independence movement, denied committing any crimes on Thursday after he appeared in court charged with multiple sex offenses including two counts of attempted rape.
Scottish prosecutors said Salmond, 64, had also been charged with nine counts of sexual assault, two counts of indecent assault and one of breach of the peace.
"I am innocent of any criminality whatsoever," Salmond, widely credited with helping push support for secession to record levels, told reporters outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court following a five-minute hearing that the media and public were not allowed to attend.