Three detained for hit on Spanish right-wing politician

Three suspects were detained on Tuesday in connection with an assassination attempt on the former head of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia, according to Spanish media reports.

Police detained two Spanish men and one British woman in the cities of Lanjaron and Fuengirola in the country’s south, Spanish media reported. The arrests came two weeks after Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who is also the former vice president of the European Parliament, was shot in the face in broad daylight on the streets of Madrid.

Police are still searching for a fourth person who is believed to have fired the gun, according to local media reports. POLITICO attempted to reach Spanish police for confirmation but did not receive a response.

The attack broke Vidal-Quadras’ jaw in two places, but the politician survived and is making “good progress” in hospital following an operation, Spanish media reported.

The assassination attempt is being investigated by Spain’s National Court as a potential terrorist incident.

The Paris-based Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran — which counts Vidal-Quadras as an ally — accused the Tehran government of being behind the attack, according to the Guardian. The politician himself has said the attack could be linked to his ties to the Iranian opposition, Spanish media reported.

Vidal-Quadras was sanctioned by Iran in October last year and received an entry ban, the Guardian reported.