A dispute involving a disgruntled Saudi patient is being examined following the murder of Marbella plastic surgeon Alexander Aslani, it has been claimed.
The 57-year-old German-born doctor, whose clientele included royalty, celebrities and social media stars, was shot dead inside his Cirumed Clinic in the Rio Real area of Marbella on Wednesday (October 7).
According to respected newspaper El Confidencial, police are examining alleged threatening messages sent to the surgeon by the partner of a Saudi patient following a disagreement over a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure.
The woman had reportedly complained that the results did not match what had been agreed before the operation and subsequently demanded a refund.
Aslani allegedly refused to return the money.
Investigators are now examining communications involving the patient’s partner, as well as claims that the individual had previously visited the clinic.
The investigation remains under a judicial secrecy order.
Swedish teenager linked to notorious gang
The revelations come after an 18-year-old Swedish national was arrested in Benalmadena less than 24 hours after the shooting.
The teenager was remanded in custody without bail by a Marbella judge on Saturday (October 10).
El Confidencial reports that the suspect has alleged links to Shottaz, a Swedish criminal network originating in the Rinkeby district of Stockholm.
The newspaper claims the organisation has developed a presence on the Costa del Sol, where criminal networks have previously been linked to contract killings.
However, the suspect’s alleged gang membership has not been independently confirmed by police, and investigators have not publicly established that the murder was connected to organised crime.
According to the report, detectives were able to identify the suspect after tracing the vehicle used to escape the scene, with motorway cameras helping establish its movements.
The teenager denied responsibility for the shooting and declined to identify anyone who might have ordered the killing.
Police are continuing to investigate whether other individuals were involved, including the possibility that someone with knowledge of the clinic helped facilitate the attack.
Surgeon to royalty and celebrities
Aslani had built an international reputation as a specialist in advanced cosmetic procedures, particularly Brazilian butt lifts and body-contouring surgery.
He was reportedly known in Saudi Arabia as the ‘doctor to the stars’, attracting wealthy clients from across the Middle East and Europe.
His patients were said to include princesses, duchesses, actresses and OnlyFans personalities, with Russian, Arab and Ukrainian clients among those travelling to Marbella for treatment.
He established Cirumed Clinic in Marbella in 2018 after previously working at other medical facilities on the Costa del Sol.
Wife’s horror as gunman opened fire
The surgeon’s wife, Jeannine, who worked alongside him as the clinic’s director of nursing, was reportedly at the premises when the attack occurred.
According to witnesses cited by El Confidencial, she emerged from the building shouting for help and crying: ‘They’ve killed my husband.’
The gunman, dressed in black with his face partially concealed, allegedly entered the clinic shortly before 6pm and approached the room where Aslani was working.
He fired several shots, striking the surgeon in the head, before fleeing the area.
Emergency medical personnel were unable to save him.
A witness who was walking near the bridge connecting Cable beach with the Panorama residential area described hearing screams and seeing a motorbike speeding away.
‘The escape was like something out of a film,’ the witness told El Confidencial.
The killing sent shockwaves through Marbella, where Aslani was widely known in medical and social circles.
‘He was tremendously kind and generous’
Beyond his work with wealthy international clients, friends and colleagues have described Aslani as a dedicated doctor who also carried out charitable medical work.
His clinic assistant and family friend Gisela Henao told El Confidencial that he had devoted his life to medicine and had no known enemies.
“He was a tremendously kind and generous man,” she said.
According to Henao, Aslani preferred to avoid Marbella’s glamorous social scene, instead living with his family in Mijas.
She said he and his wife wanted their two daughters to have a grounded upbringing, including attending state schools.
His medical background also ran in the family. His father, Dr Amir Aslani, was reportedly among the pioneers of mastectomy techniques in Germany.
The investigation continues.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
