British woman arrested after Spanish politician shot in face | World | News

A British woman has been arrested after a senior Spanish politician was shot in the face.

Former Popular Party leader Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot dead by a gunman riding a motorcycle in a shocking assassination attempt in Madrid.

The attack happened in Madrid, with the Briton detained alongside her partner, who is Spanish. A third person is also detained in connection with the shooting.

The arrests come after detectives allegedly tracked a car after examining the victim’s movements on CCTV days before the attack. Local reports claim the woman and her partner were arrested after a car was taken away by police officers near an area where trees were about to be pruned.

Mr Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in broad daylight in the Spanish capital on November 9.

The victim, a former regional leader of the right-wing Popular Party in Catalonia before leaving to participate in the formation of the far-right Vox party, told police from his hospital bed that he blamed the shooting on Iran because of its ties to the country’s opposition.

Local media suggest the woman was detained in Lanjaron, a spa town near the Aplujarras region, and that her partner was arrested with her.

The other arrest reportedly took place in the Costa del Sol resort of Fuengirola.

Earlier this morning, a spokesperson for the Spanish National Police said: “I can confirm that three people have been arrested by police as part of the ongoing investigation into the shooting in Madrid earlier this month.

“Two are Spanish nationals. We are unable, at this time, to confirm the nationality of the third person detained.

“Two of the arrests took place in Granada and the other in the province of Malaga.”

The victim, aged 78, was targeted near his home by a man wearing a black helmet on the back of the motorbike, driven by an accomplice.

The controversial politician was among the first to be placed on Iran’s terrorist list due to his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), a group whose goal is to overthrow the regime from Tehran.

He is also a member of the European Friends of Israel, a lobby group aimed at defending Israel’s interests within the European Union.

Spanish investigators have yet to comment on a possible motive for the shooting, with no further information on the arrested woman other than that she is British.

Spanish investigators have not yet commented on a possible motive for the shooting.