Tributes have poured in in for a prominent plastic surgeon who was shot dead inside a Marbella clinic on Wednesday evening.
Dr Alexander Aslani, 57, the founder of Cirumed Clinic and an internationally known specialist in body-contouring surgery, has been named locally as the victim of the daylight shooting.
As news of the killing spread, shocked friends, patients and local residents began sharing messages of grief online.
One friend told the Spanish Eye: ‘Alex was one of our best friends for more than 20 years, we are absolutely devastated and our prayers go out to Jeannine and his two little daughters.’
One woman who said she had known Aslani since they were young wrote: ‘I can’t believe it, Alex. I have known him since our youth. What an enormous tragedy.’
Another person who passed the clinic at around 6pm recalled seeing the premises surrounded by police and ambulances.
‘What a terrible shame, so young,’ she wrote. ‘Sending lots of strength to the family.’
A second witness said she had seen a heavy police presence outside his clinic, adding: ‘I am in shock.’
Who was Dr Alexander Aslani?
Aslani was the founder, owner and medical director of Cirumed, one of Marbella’s best-known cosmetic surgery clinics.
He had more than three decades of surgical experience and was particularly recognised for advanced body-contouring procedures.
Before establishing his specialist centre in Marbella, Aslani headed the plastic surgery departments at the Quiron hospitals in Malaga and Marbella between 2008 and 2018.
His training and career took him through South Africa, Germany, Austria and the UK, where he held consultant and academic positions at hospitals in London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Patients from around the world travelled to Marbella for treatment by Aslani, who was known particularly for Brazilian butt lifts, liposculpture and complex procedures combining fat transfer with implants.
His clinic says he performed more than 14,000 operations during his career and published extensively in international plastic-surgery journals.
Aslani also participated in humanitarian work through Interplast. According to his professional biography, he led annual missions to Kolkata, India, where he operated on children born with cleft lips who otherwise had limited access to treatment.
Shot several times in the head
The killing took place shortly before 6pm on Wednesday inside Cirumed Clinic, close to Opium Beach Club and the A-7.
Sources close to the investigation said the attacker entered the premises and shot the surgeon several times in the head before fleeing.
The 112 emergency service received its first alert at around 5.40pm after witnesses reported hearing several gunshots inside the clinic.
Policia Nacional, Policia Local and 061 paramedics were dispatched to the scene, where medical teams attempted unsuccessfully to stabilise the victim.
A local appeal shared following the shooting claimed two people wearing dark clothing had escaped on a black Yamaha XMAX or TMAX-style motorbike.
It also asked witnesses to report any information about a black Audi resembling an A5 that may have been connected to the incident.
Those details have not been officially confirmed by investigators.
No arrests had been made at the time of publication and the motive remains unknown.
The Spanish Eye has contacted the Policia Nacional for further information.
