Veteran Spanish right wing politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras, 78, was shot in the face in Madrid on Thursday afternoon (November 9).
According to Spanish state news agency EFE, police believed the gunman was armed with a 9mm pistol, wearing a black helmet, and rode a motorcycle to escape the scene after shooting Vidal-Quadras - a veteran politician for the conservative Popular Party (PP) and its far-right offshoot Vox.
Police added that he was about to get into his car when he was shot. He was also reported to be conscious when emergency services took him to hospital in a stable condition, Sky News reported.
The gunman remains at large as of writing as police are investigating the shooting.
Political Reactions
Vox President Santiago Abascal said he believed Vidal-Quadras's life was not in immediate danger as the shooting happened while Spain's left-wing coalition government offered an amnesty to Catalan separatists to remain in power.
"Thank God it seems that Alejandro Vidal-Quadras is out of danger," he said.
PP leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo deplored the shooting and wished for the old politician's recovery.
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also sent his well-wishes to Vidal-Quadras.
"All my warmth at this moment (is) for him and his family," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Who is Alejo Vidal-Quadras?
Aside from being a long-time PP member, Vidal-Quadras was also the party's regional leader in Catalonia. He also served in the European Parliament before leaving the party during the leadership of former prime minister Mariano Rajoy.
He served as a vice president for the European Parliament and took a heavy interest in foreign affairs, participating in the legislature's delegations to the former Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the Associated Press reported.
After breaking away from PP, he helped in founding Vox, which he eventually left after a failed attempt to get another seat in the European Parliament in 2014.
While no longer active in politics, Vidal-Quadras maintained a public role as a media commentator and columnist.
