A British man and woman have been arrested as suspected perpetrators of an attempted murder committed in November 2024 against a resident of Santiago de la Ribera, in the municipality of San Javier. The Guardia Civil operation, named ‘Esbroya 24’, has successfully clarified an attack in which the victim was shot four times in the back while entering his home.
The investigation began following the assault suffered by the San Javier resident at the front door of his property. The injured man had to be rushed to a hospital, where he remained for months receiving intensive care. Although he managed to survive, he has been left with significant permanent physical injuries.
According to the investigations carried out by specialists from the Judicial Police of the Guardia Civil, several witnesses observed how an individual wearing a black balaclava ran up to the victim and shot him in the back using a pistol fitted with a silencer. Following the attack, the perpetrator fled on foot to a vehicle waiting nearby and quickly left the area.
Officers gathered four spent cartridge cases at the scene. Barely an hour later, they located a burning vehicle on a secondary road between San Javier and Los Narejos. The car, which had been previously stolen, matched the description provided by witnesses and was fitted with false number plates to hinder identification.
The investigation subsequently led to a residential estate in Mazarrón, where a high-end vehicle with British registration plates was found abandoned. Inside the car, officers discovered the weapon used in the attack, complete with a silencer and a loaded magazine, alongside items of clothing matching those worn by the attacker, including a balaclava and gloves.
Analysis carried out by the Criminalistics Service of the Guardia Civil confirmed that the recovered pistol was the exact weapon used in the shooting. Furthermore, DNA evidence obtained from the seized clothing allowed officers to identify two suspects.
The operation involved close collaboration with authorities in the United Kingdom, who facilitated the exchange of information throughout more than a year of investigations. Officers determined that the suspects had prior records related to criminal groups linked to violent offences, organised crime and drug trafficking.
Inquiries placed both suspects in Edinburgh. The first suspect was arrested this past April at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández International Airport as they were preparing to board a flight to Scotland. Two weeks later, the second person involved was detained when returning to Spain through the same airport infrastructure.
Both individuals face charges of attempted murder and illicit possession of weapons. According to the investigation, they are believed to belong to a violent criminal group from the United Kingdom that travelled specifically to the Murcian coast with the sole objective of locating and killing the victim. The operation remains open and further actions have not been ruled out.
