SAA event in Spain on Thu 9th November 2023

Alejo Vidal-Quadras, former head of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia, was shot in the face in Madrid on Thursday, reported Spanish media.

Local emergency services said Vidal-Quadras was struck in the jaw, leaving an entry and exit wound, around 1:30 p.m. in the Salamanca district of the Spanish capital. Spanish news agency EFE reported that he was approached by a motorcyclist and shot at point-blank range. The shooter remains at large.

The Spanish politician, a former vice president of the European Parliament and early member of the far-right Vox party, was transferred to a local hospital, where he is currently “stable and conscious,” according to Spanish outlets. Vox leader Santiago Abascal said that Vidal-Quadras was out of danger.

Police are investigating the shooting, and the reason for the attack is still unknown.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday expressed his “solidarity” with Vidal-Quadras, wishing him a “speedy recovery.”

“All my thoughts at this time go to him and his family,” Sánchez said on X. “We trust that the investigation can clarify the facts as soon as possible and those responsible will be arrested.”

Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called for a prompt investigation.