British woman named at centre of plot to assassinate Spanish politician

Sasha Beth Brooks Wong has been arrested over her alleged involvement in the assassination plot (Picture: SolarPix)

A British woman has been confirmed to have been involved in an assassination plot against a Spanish politician, police say.

Sasha Beth Brooks Wong, 29, was arrested on Monday along with her Spanish boyfriend Naraya Gomez near Granada.

It came after the head of Spain’s far-right Vox Party, Alejandro Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in broad daylight on November 9.

The gunshot hit the former MEP in the jaw and health officials in Madrid say it left an entry and exit hole, according to La Vanguardia.

A second man named locally as Adrian Ruiz Blanco, 22, was also arrested near Malaga.

He and Sasha was released on conditional bail late yesterday after appearing before an investigating judge in a closed court hearing following several nights in police custody.

Investigators insist evidence points to the trio providing the gunman who shot Alejo Vidal-Quadras with ‘logistical support’ needed to ‘carry out the terrorist act.’

Gomez, who grew up on a hippy commune in Orgiva near to Lanjaron, was remanded in prison.

The gunshot hit the former MEP in the jaw and health officials in Madrid say it left an entry and exit hole (Picture: AP)

All three remain under investigation although formal charges in a prosecution indictment would not be laid until shortly before any eventual trial.

In a hard-hitting statement overnight, their first since the arrests, Spain’s National Police said without officially naming the suspects: ‘The detainees, two Spanish men and a British woman, are accused of attempted assassination for terrorist purposes.’

The police force added: ‘The involvement of the suspects, by providing the still on-the-run material author of the crime with the logistical support needed to carry out the terrorist act, has been proven.

‘During the investigation it was also shown the attack on Alejo Vidal-Quadras was prepared meticulously for weeks before the day he was shot.

Sasha’s Spanish boyfriend was also arrested (Picture: SolarPix)

‘The victim was put under surveillance, material purchased for the execution of the attack and meetings took place in different parts of Spain.

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‘As far as the man arrested in Fuengirola goes, detectives have proven his involvement through the provision of the motorbike the gunman used for his attack, which was found burnt on an industrial estate shortly afterwards.

‘At least one of the detainees in Lanjaron, as well as providing logistical support, allegedly participated in surveillance work targeting the victim.

‘The investigation remains open, with the focus now on locating the gunman who shot Mr Vidal-Quadras, a Frenchman of Tunisian origin who is well known to police in his home country of France.’

Friends in Lanjaron in the Alpujarras region of Spain have expressed astonishment at the arrests of British expat Sasha and her boyfriend, said to have been raised by a Jewish man after his mum died in childbirth.

He has been identified as a Muslim convert and described as a ‘radical Shia Muslim’ by Spanish press citing police sources.

Initial unconfirmed local reports ahead of the overnight police statement said investigators suspect he hired a paid assassin to murder Vidal-Quadras at the behest of other people who have not been identified.

The veteran politician, a former regional leader of the right-wing Popular Party in Catalonia before breaking away to help form the far-right Vox party, told police from his hospital bed he blamed Iran for the shooting because of his ties with the country’s opposition.

He was targeted near his Madrid home by a man wearing a black helmet who fled on a motorbike driven by an accomplice. He was discharged from Gregorio Maranon Hospital on Thursday following treatment for his injuries which included a double jaw fracture.

The Spaniard was among the first politicians to be placed on Iran’s terrorist list due to his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), a group whose goal is to overthrow the Tehran regime.

He is also a member of the European Friends of Israel, a lobby group aiming to defend Israel’s interests within the European Union.

Sasha’s release on bail suggests authorities are not convinced she knew of the plot of kill the veteran politician.

Her mother has been identified as an expat businesswoman called Angela Brooks, who has lived in Spain for more than a decade.

Eric Escobedo, mayor of Lanjaron, has said both she and her daughter were well-known in the town.

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