Man arrested over shooting of Scots in Spanish bar

2 hours ago Share Save David Cowan BBC Scotland home affairs correspondent Share Save

SPINDRIFT Eddie Lyons Jr (left) and Ross Monaghan (right) were killed in the shooting at the bar in Spain

A man suspected of murdering two senior figures from a Scottish organised crime group in a Spanish bar has been arrested. The BBC understands Michael Riley, 44, was taken into custody in Liverpool by Merseyside Police under an international arrest warrant issued by the Spanish authorities. Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, were shot dead at Monaghans Bar in Fuengirola in the Costa Del Sol on 31 May. Both men were connected to the Lyons family, a major organised crime group based in the west of Scotland.

Merseyside Police said a man arrested over the shootings had appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday morning. He has been remanded in custody and will appear in court again at a later date.

Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan had been watching the Champions League final with friends when they were targeted at the bar on the Andalusian town's beachfront. According to medical reports, Lyons Jnr died after being hit by a single bullet outside the bar in front of friends and customers. CCTV also showed the gunman pursuing Monaghan inside the pub and firing more shots, leaving him fatally injured. Scottish detectives have been helping the Spanish police with their investigation, providing information on the men's backgrounds. In the wake of the killings, Police Scotland issued a statement saying there was no intelligence to suggest the deaths were linked to an ongoing gangland feud in the east and west of Scotland's central belt. More than 40 people have been arrested following a series of violent incidents, including alleged attempted murders and firebombings. The force also said there was nothing to suggest that the shooting was planned in Scotland.

The men had been watching the Champions League final at Monaghans Bar