Marbella has been rocked by a ganglang shooting after a 25-year-old was gunned down in front of tourists on Friday.
The victim, who was walking while talking on his phone, was shot multiple times in Puerto Banus at around 2.30pm in front of stunned bystanders.
Despite being rushed to Costa del Sol Hospital, he died hours later from his injuries.
Caught on camera
Security footage from a nearby business captured the chilling sequence. The victim, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and Bermuda shorts, strolled casually with a cigarette in one hand and a phone in the other.
Moments later, a man in a cap approached him and drew a firearm, opening fire without hesitation.
The victim fell to the ground, then tried to flee as the gunman continued shooting at point-blank range.
Badly wounded, he managed to take cover on a bar terrace, where paramedics treated him before rushing him to hospital.
Witnesses and arrest
Neighbours and passersby, startled by the gunshots, flooded the 112 emergency line with calls.
Witnesses reported that the assailant fled the scene in a vehicle. Police quickly launched a manhunt and arrested a suspect soon after.
According to sources cited by El Español, the alleged shooter is an Afghan citizen with Swedish nationality, now in custody on suspicion of murder.
Motive under investigation
National Police officers sealed off the scene to collect evidence.
The case remains under investigation, though police sources suggest the killing bears the hallmarks of a settling of scores, a grimly familiar pattern in recent years on the Costa del Sol.
What we know about the shooter
Witnesses and CCTV footage describe the shooter as dressed in black and carrying a cross-body bag. Moments before the attack, he crossed the road calmly at a pedestrian crossing while talking on his phone – giving no hint of what was about to happen.
Reaching the other side, he slipped behind a parked van, quickly pocketed his phone and pulled a firearm from his bag. Visibly nervous, he then opened fire more than a dozen times at the 25-year-old victim, who was seated on the terrace of the Afendi Lounge bar.
The victim tried to roll across the ground to dodge the bullets and sought cover behind outdoor furniture, but he was hit multiple times, including in the leg. He staggered inside the venue to plead for help before being rushed to Costa del Sol Hospital, where he later died.
The gunman fled the scene in a green vehicle, though it is not yet clear if he had an accomplice inside.
Thanks to a rapid response by the National Police’s Prevention and Reaction Unit, officers quickly cordoned off the area and detained the suspect.
Police sources say the man is 38 years old, an Afghan citizen with Swedish nationality.
Early investigations point to a potential settling of scores, a common pattern in recent gang-related shootings on the Costa del Sol.
