Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was hit by a blue paint bomb outside a building at Woodside Hall in the city’s west end where he was attending a meeting with Liberal Democrat activists.
The man threw a hollowed-out egg filled with blue paint at Mr Clegg leaving blue streaks on his clothes and hair, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie who was beside him also received some blue paint splashes.
Reports suggest the paint bomber was a former disgruntled Lib Dem member protesting at the party’s coalition with the Conservatives in Westminster.
Recently in Scotland the Lib Dem representation plummeted from 16 MSPs to five in the 2011 Holyrood election.
The man, in his 20s, is being held for an alleged breach of the peace.
Mr Clegg ‘Laughed off’ the incident, saying: “These things happen. It’s not a big deal.”
Speaking after the attack, Mr Rennie said: “It was two disgruntled individuals, who chose not to speak about their concerns in advance but were purely interested in a stunt.”
The Deputy Prime Minister is currently touring Scotland.