Man accused of killing Scots gangsters to appear in Spanish court

Man accused of killing Scots gangsters to appear in Spanish court

A man charged with the murder of two Scottish gang members on the Costa Del Sol is set to appear in a Spanish court following his extradition from the UK. Michael Riley, accused of shooting Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan in Fuengirola on May 31, was arrested in Liverpool on June 14. Initially resisting extradition, Riley eventually consented to be taken to Spain for prosecution. The 44-year-old suspect, a resident of Huyton, Liverpool, expressed fears for his safety if held in a Spanish prison.

Specialist officers from the National Crime Agency’s national extradition unit transported Riley to Spain. The victims had ties to the Lyons family, a prominent organized crime group based in western Scotland embroiled in a long-standing feud with the Daniels crime clan. Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, were watching the Champions League final with friends at Monaghans Bar on Fuengirola’s beachfront when the fatal incident occurred. Lyons Jnr succumbed to a single bullet outside the bar, while CCTV footage captured the gunman fatally injuring Monaghan inside the pub before fleeing on foot.

Spanish authorities confirmed that a lone gunman orchestrated the killings within seconds of each other. The Scottish detectives aided the Spanish police in the investigation by providing background information on the victims. Pedro Agudo Novo, the Malaga-based Spanish police chief, identified Riley as a member of the Daniels crime group. Despite the violent nature of the crime, Police Scotland found no evidence linking the shooting to any plot originating in Scotland or to the ongoing gang feud in the country that has sparked a wave of violent incidents. Operation Portaledge, conducted by Police Scotland, has resulted in 57 arrests thus far

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More