'No suggestion' Scots shot in Spain linked to ongoing gang war violence in Scotland

Police have said the deaths of two Scottish men in Spain are not being linked with ongoing violence in the central belt.

Eddie Lyons Junior and Ross Monaghan were gunned down outside Monaghans Irish Bar in Fuengirola, south of Malaga, by a masked assailant who fled shortly after 11pm on Saturday.

The pair have been linked with a violent rivalry with the Daniels organised crime group in Scotland that has been going on for more than two decades.

On Tuesday, Police Scotland said that there was nothing to suggest that the deaths were linked with ongoing gang violence which has hit the central belt in Scotland.

Officers added that speculation linking the events is “not helpful” to ongoing investigations.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Police Scotland said: “There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge.

“Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country.

“There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland.”

The force added it was supporting Spanish authorities when requested, but that it had no officers deployed in Spain.

Last month, Police Scotland made more than 40 arrests linked to ongoing violence in the west and east of Scotland.

The criminal feud ignited after gunmen targeted two homes in Edinburgh within 48 hours. Several homes and businesses have been torched in recent months.

It comes as the mayor of Fuengirola Ana Mula urged the country’s government to provide more resources and help improve the response to growing gang-related drug trafficking conflicts in the area, which is popular with tourists and ex-pats.

During a meeting with senior officials from the national and local police, and councillor for public safety José Luis Ponce, Mula said she was determined to face the issue “head-on”.

“We live in a world and at a time when crime knows no borders,” she said.