Spanish Ex-Politician Shot in Madrid: Police Investigate Possible Moroccan Connection

Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot as he was leaving his home, on Núñez de Balboa street, in downtown Madrid. The shooter, wearing a helmet, is said to have approached him on foot, shot him, and then fled on a motorcycle with a second person, apparently a woman. The first elements of the investigation conducted by the national police and ordered by the Audiencia Nacional seem to conclude that it was a terrorist act perpetrated by a "Moroccan group with geopolitical interests in Spain," according to police sources quoted by Ok Diario.

The 78-year-old politician, whose vital prognosis is not engaged, told investigators that this aggression could be related to his relations with the Iranian opposition. After the initial investigations, the investigators excluded this hypothesis, stressing that they had consulted other intelligence services and concluded that "there is no history of similar actions by the Iranian secret services in Europe." For the moment, the research is focused on a possible "Moroccan network" having a "clear and direct" interest in influencing the domestic politics of Spain.

But why Vidal-Quadras, a retired politician, and not another still active like the main opposition leaders Alberto Núñez Feijoó or Santiago Abascal?, one wonders. According to the investigators, the assassination of an emblematic figure like Vidal-Quadras would have had more impact than that of an active politician who "could lead to an unprecedented crisis, with uncontrollable consequences." The investigation is ongoing.