COUPLE WITH EDINBURGH LINKS ARRESTED OVER SPAIN GANGLAND SHOOTING

Spanish authorities have arrested a man and a woman in connection with an attempted gangland murder in the San Javier district of Santiago de la Ribera in November 2024. The pair are alleged to have shot a victim four times in the back on his own doorstep. The victim was hospitalised and received months of intensive care, leaving him with life-changing injuries. Both suspects have links to Edinburgh.

The Civil Guard, one of Spain's two national police forces, suspects the couple are connected to a criminal gang involved in organised crime and drug trafficking. Witnesses reported the suspects fled on foot before leaving in a nearby vehicle, and a torched car believed to be the getaway vehicle was found on a road between San Javier and Los Narejos shortly afterwards. The following day, detectives searched a high-end British vehicle with false plates in the Mazarrón region, recovering a silenced firearm later confirmed as the weapon used in the attack, along with ammunition, a balaclava and gloves. DNA samples taken from seized clothing identified both suspects, and detonated cartridges were also collected from the scene.

The investigation, designated Operation Esbroya 24, involved Spanish authorities and UK law enforcement working together for over a year. In April, officers arrested the male suspect at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Edinburgh. Two weeks later, in May, the female suspect was arrested at Alicante Airport upon entering the country. The Civil Guard confirmed investigations into the shooting remain ongoing.