Vidal-Quadras accuses Iran of the attack before a judge: all the key points of the case

Madrid"I said it from the very beginning, and the signs are increasingly clear." Aleix Vidal-Quadras, former leader of the Catalan People's Party (PP) and founder of Vox, has confirmed before the judge of the National Court investigating the attack he suffered in November 2023 that he was a victim of the Iranian regime. The investigating judge in the case, Santiago Pedraz, is trying to determine, in a complex investigation involving several countries, whether Iran was behind the shot in the face from which Vidal-Quadras is still trying to recover.

Eight arrested

So far, eight arrests have been made, including that of the shooter, Mehrez Ayari, arrested in June 2024 in the Netherlands. That this hitman, a Frenchman of Tunisian origin, was arrested while preparing to commit another contract killing against "an Iranian dissident" leaves little room for doubt, Vidal-Quadras argued after leaving the statement, which lasted just over half an hour. "He was forcing his way into this journalist's house to kill him," he insisted. Ayari is imprisoned in the Netherlands and awaiting extradition to Spain. He is linked to the Mocro Maffia, a powerful Dutch-Moroccan criminal organization that allegedly hired Iran. The man considered the mastermind of the attack, Sami Bekal Bounouare, born in Palma, is still wanted.

Activism against Iran

Vidal-Quadras has also defended this thesis due to his activism against Iran's "criminal dictatorship," which has a "long history of crimes," and for the support he has openly given to that country's resistance. In fact, Vidal-Quadras appeared on the list of enemies of the regime that Iran made public in October 2022. Both as a natural person and because a foundation of which he is president, made up of MEPs, called the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ), is also listed, according to sources from his defense team. "I was number one on the list, and that is in the judge's hands," Vidal-Quadras told the media.

The aftermath

The former leader of the People's Party and Vox has been resuming his public activities for months - last week he attended at the presentation of the book by Alejandro Fernández, the current leader of the Catalan PP, in Madrid–, but he still has after-effects. This is one of the issues he described to Judge Pedraz. "I have numbness in the lower part of my face, I've lost 40% of my hearing, and then there's the post-traumatic stress disorder. I'm still undergoing treatment and medication for the emotional issue," he explained. However, Vidal-Quadras said he is determined to "continue activism with more enthusiasm, energy, and dedication than before."

Maximum security

Vidal-Quadras's visit to the National Court took place under maximum security. He was escorted by several police cars, and a large force of uniformed and plainclothes officers was deployed around the building. Sources for his defense explained that this has become Vidal-Quadras's daily routine since the attack. How is he experiencing the attempted assassination? "With concern," he explained upon leaving, because Iran is "a regime that has murdered many dissidents."

The timing of the events

The statement before the judge also focused on review the facts"I was walking back through the Retiro Park when I heard a voice saying 'Hello, sir.' When I turned my head, I was shot," he recalled. From that moment on, his "memories are hazy," and he only remembers waking up in the ICU four days later. This Tuesday, a police officer also testified that she spoke to him just as the first paramedics were treating him. They called her at Vidal-Quadras's request, who from that very moment tried to tell her on his cell phone that it was Iran.