Dutch police have arrested a suspect in the shooting of Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a right-wing Spanish politician, in Madrid last November, Spanish authorities reported on Wednesday. The suspect, a Frenchman of Tunisian origin with a criminal history, is the sixth arrest in the case, which has also seen a suspect detained in Colombia.
Vidal-Quadras, 79, a former leader of Catalonia’s People’s Party and founder of the far-right Vox party, was shot in the face on November 9 in Madrid’s affluent Salamanca neighborhood. The attack occurred in broad daylight, with the gunman wearing a helmet and riding as a passenger on a motorcycle. Despite the bullet passing through his jaw, Vidal-Quadras survived.
Spanish police announced the arrest on X, noting the suspect was detained under an international warrant issued by a Spanish court. The identification was made using CCTV footage from the crime scene. A Spanish anti-terrorism court is overseeing the investigation. Dutch police have not commented.
The suspect is also sought in France for the killing of a drug trafficker, according to a judicial source.
Vidal-Quadras has blamed the Iranian government for the assassination attempt, citing his connections with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an exiled opposition group. Despite his “absolute certainty” of Iran’s involvement, he admitted having no concrete evidence. Iran has not responded to the accusation.
Following the attack, Vidal-Quadras called for a tougher EU stance towards Iran, opposing any attempts at appeasement or negotiation. He was placed on an Iranian sanctions list in October 2022, following EU sanctions related to the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd detained for allegedly violating Iran’s dress code.