Three suspects were arrested for the attempted murder of Spanish conservative politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras. According to Spanish police, none of the three suspects is believed to be the shooter. However, they are directly linked to the vehicles that were used in the attack and they supposedly hired the hitman.
The arrests were carried out in the cities of Malaga and Granada (both located in the autonomous community of Andalusia). The identities of the subjects have not been revealed, but it has been confirmed that there are two men and a woman. The news outlet El Mundo confirmed that one is of Spanish nationality and two are in a relationship with each other.
The assassination attempt on Vidal-Quadras
Vidal-Quadras, co-founder of the political party VOX and former president of the Popular Party in Catalonia, was urgently hospitalized after being shot in the face in Madrid (capital of Spain). The motive for the attack is still unknown.
Until now the only information available to the public was that the shooter was riding on the back of a motorcycle. He shot the politician in the middle of the street. Vidal-Quadras was alone and was about to get into a car when the bullet went through his jaw. After the shooting, the attacker got into a black Yamaha where a driver was waiting for him and they fled the wrong way down a one-way street.
The Spanish newspaper Vozpópuli published an exclusive article with the politician's last text message before going into surgery. He messaged a friend saying, "If I die, it was Iran; protect my family." He told doctors at the hospital the same thing. According to the same media outlet, Vidal-Quadras "did not explain, since he was not able to, if the threats came from the government or an opposition faction." The conservative politician had previously received death threats.
On the same day of the attack, local media outlets such as El Mundo reported that the police were investigating whether the attack was linked to his work as a defense lawyer for opponents of the Iranian regime. According to the local press, he was blacklisted by the Iranian regime's Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year.
