Date Published: 21/11/2023
Brit amongst suspected would-be assassins arrested for plotting to shoot Spanish politician in the face
Policía Nacional in Spain have arrest three suspects in Málaga and Granada for the attack on VOX co-founder Vidal-Quadras
Spanish Police have arrested three people, two Spanish men and a British woman, for their part in a plot to assassinate former politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras. The High Court is investigating it as a possible terrorist offence.
The 78-year-old founder of the extreme right VOX party was shot in the face in broad daylight on November 9 while walking along a street in Madrid. He miraculously survived, but suffered a serious injury in his jaw for which he had to undergo surgery.
Now, two people have been arrested in Lanjarón, Granada – a Spanish male and his British female partner – and another man in Fuengirola, Málaga on suspicion of being part of the plot, although according to initial police reports none of them is the person who actually shot Vidal. The man arrested in Málaga is thought to be connected with the motorcycle that was used to help the shooter get away.
The suspects had been under close surveillance for days, according to sources close to the investigation, and police are now searching for a fourth suspect of Tunisian descent who may be the shooter.
The attack was allegedly perpetrated by an individual who was wearing a black helmet and was waiting for Vidal in the vicinity of his home. He shot him with a 9-millimetre Parabellum pistol and then ran off towards a Yamaha motorbike that was waiting for him to flee at high speed along Calle Hermosilla.
Following initial investigations, the authorities suggested that the attack could have been ordered by a third party. Another hypothesis, according to Vidal-Quadras himself, is that Iran could have been behind the shooting as a result of the ex-politician’s collaboration with the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Image: Friends of Europe/Flickr
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