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Two Scottish nationals have been shot dead in a targeted attack at a bar in Fuengirola, a popular coastal town in southern Spain. The shooting took place late on Saturday May 31 at Monaghans, an Irish-themed bar on the Paseo Marítimo Rey de España, opposite the Martín Playa beach bar in the Costa del Sol town.

 

According to Spanish authorities, a masked gunman opened fire shortly after 11pm, killing both men at the scene before fleeing in a waiting vehicle. Local police confirmed that one of the victims was shot in the chest and the other in the chest and abdomen. A third person sustained injuries in the attack.

 

Eyewitnesses reported a car pulling up outside the venue, followed by several gunshots. The bar, which was screening the UEFA Champions League final at the time, was reportedly full of tourists and expats when the violence broke out.

 

Emergency services were alerted at 11.28pm and multiple police units, including officers from Spain’s violent crime division (UDEV), were quickly deployed. Medical personnel attempted to revive the victims but were unable to save them.

 

Spanish officials, including Francisco Javier Salas, the central government’s representative in Málaga, confirmed that the victims were of Scottish nationality. Sources in Spain and the UK have since identified the men as Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr, figures linked to the notorious Lyons crime clan in Glasgow.

 

The National Police have launched an investigation, with a focus on organised crime. No arrests have been made so far. The shooting is being treated as part of a wider pattern of recent gun violence along the Costa del Sol, where several similar incidents have been recorded in the past year.

 

Despite concerns among residents and tourists, Spanish authorities and the Anti-Drugs Prosecutor’s Office maintain there is no general surge in crime. However, security forces have activated special crime-prevention measures, including the ongoing ‘Costa del Sol Plan’ and the ‘Marbella Plan’, to address the wave of shootings.

 

The Foreign Office has not received any formal request for consular assistance but has said its staff are ready to support any British nationals affected by the incident.

 

This latest attack underscores mounting concerns about gang-related violence in a region known for its long-standing links to international organised crime networks, particularly involving narcotics, earning this stretch of Spanish coast the dubious moniker ‘Costa del Crime’.

 

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