Prosecutors request sentences of 10 to 27 years for seven defendants, on charges of membership of a criminal organisation and attempted terrorist homicide, as reported on 23 October 2026.
The indictment cites Iran's foreign ministry declaring Vidal-Quadras a terrorist in October 2022 and says Iran has run covert operations against dissidents abroad.
Sami Bekal Bounouare, known as Pacho, is described by prosecutors as the organiser of the attack and is listed as a fugitive, and El País reports he is believed to have hidden in Iran.
ABC reports 15 years sought for Adrián Ruiz Blanco, while El País and La Razón report 10 years for him.
Prosecutors at the Audiencia Nacional have filed their indictment over the attempted murder of Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former European Parliament vice-president and Vox co-founder, and are asking for prison terms of up to 27 years for seven defendants. The filing, reported on 23 October 2026, charges the accused with membership of a criminal organisation and attempted terrorist homicide. The shooting took place on 9 November 2023 near the victim's home in central Madrid, when a man on a motorbike fired at his face. Prosecutors say Vidal-Quadras turned his head, which prevented the bullet from killing him, but that he suffered serious injuries. The indictment names Mehrez Ayari as the material author of the shot and Sami Bekal Bounouare, known as Pacho, as the organiser. Bekal Bounouare is listed as a fugitive, and El País reports that he is believed to have hidden in Iran.
Mehrez Ayari faces the highest request, 27 years, which La Razón and eldiario.es break down as 22 years for attempted terrorist homicide plus five years for membership of a criminal organisation. Naraya Gómez Mala faces 23 years, and four other defendants, Chahinez Kadid, Larbi Ayari, Greg Oliver Higuera and Nafis Din Allouch Ahmed, face 20 years each. The sources differ on Adrián Ruiz Blanco, the defendant accused of complicity rather than membership. ABC reports that prosecutors seek 15 years for him and says he bought the motorbike used in the attack, while El País and La Razón report 10 years, with El País describing him as an accomplice who helped conceal evidence. These figures are prosecutors' requests, not court rulings.
Data from the article text
The prosecution ties the attack to Iran, saying the regime targeted Vidal-Quadras for supporting the Iranian opposition and that Iran's foreign ministry declared him a terrorist in October 2022. The written accusation states the point directly:
“Iran has been involved in covert operations to pursue, intimidate and even assassinate opponents, dissidents and critical voices outside its borders.”
La Razón reports that the plot was planned for months, with the alleged members meeting in towns in Granada and Málaga provinces, including Lanjarón and Pinos Puente, to coordinate travel, weapons and resources. Investigators also describe rented vehicles, mobile phones and a camera hidden in a shoebox, connected to a modem, parked in a car on Calle Núñez de Balboa near the victim's home. According to the same account, Mehrez Ayari arrived in Spain at least in August 2023 on instructions from Bekal Bounouare. The indictment also singles out 29 October 2023, when Vidal-Quadras attended a protest against the amnesty law at Plaza de Colón in Madrid.
Vidal-Quadras has linked the attack to his support for the Iranian opposition from the start. After testifying before the judge in April 2025, he said openly that Iran was behind the shooting. Recalling that day, he said:
“That day I was coming back from walking in the Retiro and I heard a voice say: 'Hello sir'.”
He said he remembered little after the shot and had no memory from the moment he woke four days later. He described lasting effects, including numbness in the lower part of his face and the loss of 40% of his hearing capacity, and said he was still taking medication for the emotional impact. Judge Santiago Pedraz closed the investigation in 2025 and formally charged eight suspects, El País reports. In June 2025, according to laSexta, the National Police brought one of the main suspects to Spain from the Netherlands.
Pollar is free and carries no ads in the text. Its members keep it going.
Support PollarSafety · Madrid, Lanjarón, and Pinos Puente
Audiencia Nacional prosecutors have charged seven defendants over the 9 November 2023 shooting of Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid. The indictment links the attack to Iran, and one alleged organiser is listed as a fugitive.
AI text based on reports by ABC TU DIARIO EN ESPAÑOL, EL PAÍS, El Confidencial and other publishers. Published .