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Two Brits arrested over execution-style shooting that left man paralysed in San Javier
One of the suspects was caught at Alicante airport trying to flee on a flight to Edinburgh
A British man who was shot four times outside his home in Santiago de la Ribera in San Javier has been left with life-changing injuries after what investigators believe was a targeted, execution-style attack. Now, more than six months on from the incident, the Guardia Civil has confirmed that two people have been arrested in connection with the shooting, both described as suspected members of a violent criminal group from the United Kingdom.
The attack took place at around 8.30pm on November 18, 2024. The victim, a 27-year-old man known only as Aaron, was shot in front of his girlfriend outside his home by a masked gunman who immediately fled in a waiting vehicle.
Neighbours initially mistook the shots for fireworks before emergency services arrived on the scene. Officers who responded used their own hands to plug Aaron's bullet wounds and prevent him from bleeding to death while waiting for medical backup, an intervention that is widely credited with saving his life.
He was rushed to the intensive care unit at Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital, where he spent months recovering. The full extent of his injuries only became clear when he regained consciousness in the ICU, where he was initially kept under police guard.
Reports indicate he was left tetraplegic as a result of the attack, although this has not been formally confirmed by police.
After the shooting, a burnt-out car matching the description of the getaway vehicle was found abandoned in a tunnel on the nearby AP-7 motorway. Inside the wreckage, investigators discovered a pistol fitted with a silencer, a magazine with ammunition, a balaclava and gloves, all believed to have been used in the attack.
The Guardia Civil launched a lengthy investigation, codenamed Operation Esbroya 24, with assistance from police in the United Kingdom.
The first arrest came in April, when specialists from the Fiscal and Border Section intercepted one of the suspects at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Edinburgh.
A second suspect, a woman, was detained at the same airport weeks later in May as she attempted to enter Spain. The arrests were only made public over the weekend.
A Guardia Civil spokesperson added some more details.
"The investigation points to the two people held being members of a violent criminal group originating from the United Kingdom, who travelled expressly to the Murcian coast to locate and kill the victim," he said.
In the aftermath of the shooting, local sources suggested Aaron had moved to Santiago de la Ribera from Torrevieja, around half an hour to the north, following undisclosed problems with a criminal gang.
A local health worker who spoke to Spanish media at the time said, "They're talking about a settling of scores. They say that boy was hiding in Santiago de la Ribera because he had problems with a mafia from Torrevieja. He was lucky none of the shots hit him in the heart."
Image: Guardia Civil
