Spanish prosecutors point finger at Iran in 2023 assassination attempt on former EU vice president

In November 2023, Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in broad daylight while walking through Madrid’s upscale Salamanca district.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Spanish authorities have accused the Iranian regime of orchestrating the 2023 assassination attempt against former European Parliament Vice President Alejo Vidal-Quadras, with prosecutors seeking prison sentences of up to 27 years for seven defendants—a case that could expose how Tehran uses criminal networks to target opponents abroad.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Spain’s National Court is seeking a 22-year sentence for Mehrez Ayari, accused of carrying out the assassination attempt against Vidal-Quadras—a former leader of the Spanish center-right Popular Party (PP) and co-founder of the right-wing Vox party who was shot in the face in Madrid in 2023—plus an additional five years for membership in a criminal organization, Spanish media reported.

As a prominent Spanish political figure, Vidal-Quadras has long been one of the Iranian regime’s most vocal critics on the international stage and within the European Union, advocating for Iranian opposition groups, particularly the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), an exiled movement seeking to overthrow the Islamic Republic.

In 2022, Iranian authorities added Vidal-Quadras to a list of sanctioned individuals accused of supporting terrorism, a measure Tehran uses to target people it accuses of acting against the regime’s interests.

Since his attack, Vidal-Quadras has repeatedly linked the attempted assassination to his longstanding support for the Iranian opposition, arguing that his political advocacy may have made him a target of Tehran’s efforts to silence its critics abroad.

According to court documents obtained by El País, prosecutors believe the assassination attempt was part of a covert Iranian operation targeting a prominent opposition figure, designed both to punish Vidal-Quadras for his political activities and to intimidate others supporting movements seeking to challenge Tehran’s rule.

With last week’s indictment, prosecutors are also seeking prison sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years for the six remaining defendants, reflecting their alleged roles in the assassination plot.

Investigators believe a seventh suspect, accused of coordinating the operation, remains at large and may be hiding in Iran.

In November 2023, Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in broad daylight while walking through Madrid’s upscale Salamanca district when an assailant approached him around 1:30 pm, opened fire, and fled on a motorcycle with the help of an accomplice.

Shortly after the incident, he was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries after the bullet struck his jaw, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Five days after the shooting, Iran’s Fars News Agency issued a stark warning to Spain over the PMOI/MEK, urging Madrid not to become part of an MEK “scenario” and cautioning that allowing the group to operate on Spanish soil would have “serious consequences”—a statement investigators believe may be linked to the assassination attempt.

In July 2025, prosecutors moved to bring eight suspects to trial for alleged membership in a criminal organization and attempted murder, accusing the group of surveilling Vidal-Quadras, securing vehicles and phones, and assembling the resources needed to carry out the attack and ensure the assailants’ escape.