British 'hitman' wanted for several murders captured after car crash on Costa del Sol

An alleged British 'hitman', wanted in connection with several murders, has been arrested by Spanish police in Mijas on the Costa del Sol

It was a road traffic accident that gave him away. The driver crashed his car in a street in Riviera del Sol, in Mijas, and tried to flee on foot when he saw a police patrol approaching, but without success.

He was not carrying any identification documents, but he did have firearms, a silencer, ammunition and a notebook with addresses. A few minutes later, at the Guardia Civil headquarters in the municipality, the alarm bells went off: the man was wanted in connection with several murders and was allegedly linked to one of the most dangerous mafias based in London.

The chain of events began a few hours earlier, at around midday on Thursday 31 July, when a Mijas Local Police patrol was called to an altercation at a petrol station. When they arrived, two Dutch women told the officers that a man with a British accent had insisted that they buy cocaine. CCTV cameras confirmed their story. The suspect was driving a Nissan Qashqai and had left the area before the officers arrived.

Shortly afterwards, the same vehicle crashed into a wall in Calle Orfebres. The driver, municipal sources have told this newspaper, staggered out, with visible injuries, and started to flee. But he did not get far. The officers intercepted him and proceeded to search the car. Inside, they found two pistols, one with a silencer, several magazines, ammunition and a notebook with names and addresses.

The individual was not carrying any identification documents, but investigators were able to identify him by biometric means. According to sources, the suspect was wanted for several murders and had a warrant for immediate imprisonment issued by a court in Fuengirola.

The detainee was then brought before a court and sent directly to prison. The police investigation into his links to international organised crime remains open.