Spanish police arrest a man linked to an attempted murder of a former Catalan politician
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish police on Tuesday arrested a man linked to a Nov. 9 assassination attempt on the former leader of Spain’s conservative People’s Party in Catalonia, news site El Confidencial reported.
The man, a Spanish citizen, was under police surveillance for several days before his arrest, El Confidencial reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation. The police are checking whether he has connections abroad.
The police were initially unable to confirm the report.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face at 1:30 p.m. on a sidewalk in the wealthy Salamanca district of central Madrid by a gunman wearing a helmet who had fled on a motorcycle.
The 78-year-old Conservative politician survived the attack when the bullet passed through his jaw, but is reportedly still in hospital.
An anti-terrorism court is responsible for investigating the case. The court spokesman was initially unable to comment.
Vidal-Quadras is the former leader of the center-right party (PP) in Catalonia and founder of the far-right Spanish Vox party. He was also Vice President of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014.
He was a loyal ally of the Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which blamed the Iranian regime for the attack.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro)
Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.
