The upmarket holiday resort of Puerto Banus in Spain has been rocked by a broad-daylight Christmas Eve shooting with one person hit – the incident happened just after 11am this morning
A man has been injured in a broad-daylight Christmas Eve shooting in the upmarket resort of Puerto Banus, sparking panic among visiting holidaymakers.
The incident happened just after 11am near a chemist by the Cristamar mall in the famous Costa del Sol holiday hotspot. Police have not yet confirmed the victim’s nationality but he is being described locally as a German man of Arabic origin.
He was rushed to hospital after being hit in the leg by a bullet and taking refuge inside the mall. He was stabilised at the scene before being stretchered away. Two gunmen are said to have fired several bullets before fleeing the scene in a white getaway car.
The incident sparked panic among last-minute Christmas shoppers and tourists enjoying a sunshine stroll in the port area. There has so far been no reports of any arrests.
A string of shootings earlier this year in and around Marbella and Puerto Banus led to the early launch in April of the so-called ‘Marbella Plan’ to keep British and Irish tourists safe. Several beach clubs including the famous Ocean Club in Puerto Banus were crashed by heavily-armed police as part of the response.
In June, 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.
Kerry Katona later claimed she had U-turned on a decision to move to the famous Costa del Sol resort with her family including then-fiancé Ryan Mahoney because she no longer felt safe about the prospect following the violent incidents there.
