A minor accused of murder in Malaga escaped before his trial and was re-arrested in Belgium

The 17-year-old is alleged to be the gunman who shot dead a 25-year-old man with a submachine gun on Calle Asturias in Fuengirola.

Spanish police had considered the case solved after the Udyco-Costa del Sol organised crime unit identified the suspect through a complex international investigation. He was arrested in Belgium a year ago and extradited to Malaga, where an international arrest warrant had been issued. He was then placed in a juvenile detention centre.

The problem is that, whilst the legal proceedings were ongoing, the nine-month maximum period of pre-trial detention permitted under the juvenile justice act (regardless of the offence) had elapsed, meaning he had to be released before the trial. In late spring, he left the reform centre where he had been held and was never seen in Spain again. As confirmed to SUR by the various sources consulted, he fled the country without facing trial for the murder he had allegedly committed.

But his time on the run was short-lived. He was recently tracked down and arrested in Belgium, where he is originally from. Given that the crime was allegedly commissioned in the Netherlands, and that both the victim and the alleged perpetrators are Dutch nationals, it has been agreed to transfer the proceedings from Spain so that the case can continue there, with a view to bringing the minor and the adults under investigation to trial.

The murder of which he is accused took place on 7 December 2024 in the vicinity of a cannabis club in Fuengirola. This is the police's reconstruction of events. The hitman is believed to have taken advantage of a supposed customer leaving the premises to try to gain entry. The victim noticed that he was hooded and carrying a rifle, so hurried to close the door. The attacker began kicking the door and even fired several shots, but failed to get in.

The victim returned inside the premises, where moments of panic ensued. The people inside began to scream and made their way to the back in search of an escape route. They even had to tear down some awnings to get out onto Calle Asturias. But it was a death trap.

The hitman had the same idea, as well as the composure not to flee - despite the first shots he fired - and to press ahead with the plan. According to the sources consulted, he circled the premises looking for his target. Just round the corner, he shot and killed the young Dutch man. The police believe that he was not the intended target, but simply the first person to step out onto the street.

The investigators were able to reconstruct the murder thanks to the security cameras. Beyond the violence itself, the scene did not go unnoticed by the police. The alleged client, who opened the door at exactly the right moment, does not appear to be fazed when he comes face to face with a masked man armed with a rifle. According to the police, he was the inside man. He has also been identified.

Following the incident, the shooter – believed to be the minor who has been re-arrested - threw the gun under a car and fled on a bicycle. Officers were able to establish that he subsequently abandoned the bicycle, continued his escape on foot for a while, then took a taxi. He then walked for a while longer and finally entered a bar, where he waited until the following morning for his accomplices. He left Spain 48 hours later, but the police investigation led to his identification and subsequent arrest.