Spanish police have detained on Tuesday three individuals in connection with the recent murder attempt on Alejo Vidal-Quadras, the former Head of Spain’s Conservative People’s Party in Catalonia. The arrests took place in the southern port city of Fuengirola–in Malaga province–and in Granada, with regard to two Spanish nationals and the nationality of the third suspect yet to be voiced to the public.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, citing security sources, one of the three detainees is a British woman, identified as the partner of another individual involved in the case. “Her possible participation in the crime is being investigated.”
The license plate of the couple’s car sparked suspicions from investigators, who had been searching for the vehicle after studying CCTV footage of the victim’s movements in the days leading up to the shooting.
Vidal-Quadras, 78, survived the attack on November 9 when he was shot in the face by a helmet-wearing gunman on a motorbike in central Madrid. Although the bullet passed through his jaw, he remains in the hospital.
From his hospital bed, he claimed Iran was behind the shooting due to his ties with the opposition in the country.
The case is being handled by an anti-terrorism court, and Spanish authorities have yet to comment on the motive behind the attempted assassination. The detainments were supervised by Judge Francisco de Jorge, suggesting a potential terrorism-related aspect to the case.
Vidal-Quadras, founder of Spain’s Vox party, served as European Parliament Vice President from 2009-2014. He is a close ally of the Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and therefore harbored suspicions that the Iranian government is to blame for the attack.