A 25-year-old man is in a critical condition after being stabbed and beaten following a disturbance at an unofficial bonfire display in Wishaw.
The victim was set upon by a group of people in the North Lanarkshire town's Lomond Drive at 23:20 on Thursday.
He was taken by a member of the public to Wishaw General Hospital where he is being treated for multiple injuries.
Police are treating the attack as attempted murder and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Det Insp John Lamb said the victim had been subjected to "an extremely brutal attack".
"From our inquiries, we believe that around 2000 hours, earlier on Thursday evening, the injured man had been involved in a dispute with a number of other people near to an unofficial bonfire display in Pather," he said.
'Encouraging response'
"He left shortly after but returned to the area around 2230 hours when a large scale disturbance happened near to Thornlie Primary School in Lomond Drive, Pather.
"He was then set upon by a small number of people in the same street."
Det Insp described the response from local people to initial investigations as "encouraging" but said officers "still need people to come forward".
He added: "After the attack the man was taken by a passing member of the public to Wishaw General. A number of other people had also tried to help him and break up the attack.
"I believe the disturbance and subsequent attack was between two factions in the area who may or may not have known each other.
"There is no excuse for such behaviour and the level of violence used which was undoubtedly witnesses by decent members of the community returning from bonfire night celebrations."
