Mayor demands action after Scots shot dead in Spanish bar

The mayor of Fuengirola has called for more police resources to combat organised crime-related violence on the Costa del Sol.

Ana Mula said she was demanding action after two Scottish men - Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43 - were shot dead in a pub on the town's seafront on Saturday.

It followed a series of assaults, shootings and firebombings across Glasgow and Edinburgh since March which have resulted in more than 30 arrests.

But detectives are also examining whether the murders are linked to wider tensions between major global crime groups.

BBC Scotland News has been told that Eddie Jnr's brother Steven Lyons has links to the Kinahan crime clan.

The Dubai-based group is wanted by the US government for drugs and firearms trafficking, money laundering and murder.

It was the focus of a recent BBC documentary series, Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland's Mafia.

In December 2006 Steven Lyons was injured when two masked gunmen opened fire in an MOT garage owned by his uncle, David Lyons.

The shooting in Lambhill, in the north of Glasgow, claimed the life of his 21-year-old cousin, Michael Lyons.

Tensions have been high among criminal groups in the Costa del Sol since the arrest last November of one of Spain's top police officers.

Óscar Sánchez Gil was the head of the fraud and anti-money laundering division of Spain's national police force in Madrid until €20m (£17m) was found hidden in the walls of his house, as part of an investigation into the country's largest-ever cocaine bust.

Sources have told BBC Scotland News that the scandal has triggered a number of subsequent drug seizures and arrests.

Crucially, it has also increased distrust among crime groups and the ripple effects may be a factor in a recent spate of shootings in the region.

The violence has led to a direct appeal from the mayor of Fuengirola following a meeting with officials including the commanders of the national and local police.

Ms Mula said: "We live in a world and at a time where crime knows no borders.

"In places like the Costa del Sol, we're seeing developments that, as they spread, inevitably affect us.

"We need much greater involvement from the state on this issue."

She also called for the deployment of more police officers who specialise in organised crime.

The mayor added: "I intend to be relentless in demanding action on this.

"It's a top priority for our community and our city."

Graphic footage of the aftermath of the shootings in Monaghans bar was broadcast on Spanish TV on Monday.

CCTV from the bar showed the lone gunman chasing critically-injured Monaghan before he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Two bystanders, thought to be a waitress and another man in black, can be seen running away from the suspect.

The suspect appeared to be wearing a black baseball cap, a black jacket, black shorts and had a white T-shirt round his neck, which he is thought to have used to hide his face before opening fire.

The indoor lounge bar was deserted at the time but a number of customers, who had been watching the Champions League final, were outside where Lyons Jnr was shot dead.

Sources have told BBC Scotland News the murders would have required significant planning and reconnaissance.

The timing, just half an hour before the bar closed, would also have been carefully chosen.

Local journalist Samantha Mythen said police released a forensic report on Tuesday.

She added it confirmed Eddie Lyons Jnr died instantly from a single shot while Monaghan died after being shot five or six times.

Graeme Pearson, former director general of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said the shootings represented a real challenge to law enforcement.

He told BBC Scotland News: "For someone to have decided that they would murder them in the way they have in Spain is certainly without precedent and it raises the bar."

The former Labour MSP said the Spanish detectives leading the inquiry would expect "enormous support" from Police Scotland.

Mr Pearson added: "There is a supposition at this stage that the vendettas that have played out in Scotland have led to these murders but, from a Spanish perspective, they must maintain an open mind.

"It could be, who knows, that these men have fallen foul to local criminals in relation to other matters.

"That will have to be investigated thoroughly before anyone can decide that this is a Scottish-based crime and that Scottish criminals lay behind it."

The double murder follows the fatal shooting nearly six weeks ago of a 32-year-old British man in nearby Calahonda, a 15-minute drive from Monaghans.

He was targeted around 20:00 on 21 April in a professional hit as he headed back to his car after playing in a football match with friends.

Police are treating the shooting as drugs-related but have yet to make any arrests.

The victim has not been named but was known to come from Liverpool.

Reports at the time described the incident as the fourth shooting so far that month on the Costa del Sol, where rival gangs have increasingly used extreme violence to settle scores and a number of international mafias are known to have a base.

Four days before the Calahonda shooting, a 34-year-old man was rushed to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella after being shot outside a nightclub in the famous Costa del Sol resort.

It is understood detectives will examine the earlier Spanish incidents to see if they can establish any links between these and Saturday's murders.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We are providing support to the families of two British men who died in Fuengirola and are in contact with the local authorities."