The 25-year-old victim was gunned down from close range on a cafe terrace in Puerto Banús, on the Costa del Sol in Spain, and later died in hospital – police have made an arrest
A man has been shot dead in the upmarket Costa del Sol resort of Puerto Banús in front of shocked British holidaymakers.
The 25-year-old victim was gunned down from close range on a cafe terrace after being caught unaware as he was smoking a cigarette and having a mobile phone conversation. CCTV footage is believed to show the gunman, wearing a baseball cap but disguised as a tourist, approaching his target and opening fire – and continuing to shoot him as he lay on the ground.
The injured man was rushed to the nearby Costa del Sol Hospital, but died there despite the efforts of medics to save his life. Police confirmed this evening they had made an arrest.
A spokesman for the National Police in Malaga, which covers the Marbella area where the assassination occurred, said: “We can confirm a 38-year-old man has been arrested over the fatal shooting of another man in Puerto Banús. The investigation is ongoing and we cannot offer any more details at this stage.”
Cops said they couldn’t comment on the nationalities of the victim and the man held. Unconfirmed local reports are pointing to both the alleged killer and the victim being Swedish passport holders, although one is describing the gunman as Afghan-born.
The shooting happened just after 1.30pm local time today, when Puerto Banús was full of tourists including golfers who have flown from the UK to the Costa del Sol to play at the courses the coast is famous for and were out for lunch. The killer is believed to have got out of a car before targeting his victim. Police confirmed the victim died at around 8.15pm local time today, following earlier reports he had been shot half a dozen times but was still alive and in hospital.
Shootings in Puerto Banús and surrounding areas over the past few summers have led to high-profile high-season police operations in the area which have included raids on upmarket clubs, following criticism from locals the port area has become like the “Wild West”. In June last year, Manchester City star Erling Haaland was caught up in a dramatic police raid at a beach club called Playa Padre in Marbella.
The Norwegian international was filmed putting his hands into his pocket to pull out his ID after cops in balaclavas demanded to know who he was. The surprise raid, which happened the weekend after Haaland was filmed dancing alongside a DJ at the beach club during a previous visit, resulted in the arrest of an Iranian fugitive.
Contract killers from Sweden have been blamed for a rise in violence around Europe including the Costa del Sol and resorts like Marbella which has been dubbed the United Nations of Crime because of the number of violent gangs operating there. Bomb blasts on the famous coast in October 2018 led to the arrests of three “hitmen” in Sweden and Marbella.
Spanish National Police said in a statement three months later as they revealed the detentions: “The police and Civil Guard investigations led to a connection which linked the incidents to a criminal organisation of contract killers based in Sweden with connections to several European countries including Spain. This organisation is believed to be behind a number of violent incidents in Sweden in which explosives have been used.
“Several members of the organisation, all aged between 20 and 30, were identified and evidence established linking them to the bomb blasts. Two were in the Swedish city of Malmo where they were arrested in a well-planned police operation. The third individual was held in Marbella.”
The so-called Mocro Maffia have also been identified as a problem on the Costa del Sol. A 17-year-old Belgian youngster working for the feared organisation was arrested last month and accused of flying to the resort of Fuengirola to assassinate a Dutchman next to a cannabis club in December last year. Police have described it as the first case in Spain in which an underage hitman is the main suspect.