British man, 27, shot by masked gunman from behind in Spanish holiday hotspot - near La Manga resort where two Brits decapitated

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A British man is in a “very serious” condition after being shot at twice by a masked gunman in Spain.

The 27-year-old was shot and hit twice, in the knee and in his side, in the ambush in the village of Santiago de la Ribera on the Mar Menor near La Manga golf resort. The violent attack happened around 8.30pm yesterday (Tuesday 19 November) when the man arrived home with his partner.

Two local police officers have been credited with saving his life by using their own hands to plug the bullet wounds and stop him bleeding to death at the scene. He was said to be in a “very serious” condition when he was rushed to hospital.

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The victim was initially reported to be a Ukrainian national before investigators confirmed he was a British national. Neighbours said they thought initially the shots that rang out were firecrackers kids were playing with before the first police cars and ambulances arrived.

A British man is in a “very serious” condition after being shot at twice by a masked gunman in Spain. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)A British man is in a “very serious” condition after being shot at twice by a masked gunman in Spain. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
A British man is in a “very serious” condition after being shot at twice by a masked gunman in Spain. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

The gunman is said to have shot the unnamed Brit from behind outside the entrance to an apartment block where he lives before fleeing the scene in a car. The vehicle is later thought to have been set on fire and abandoned in a tunnel on the nearby AP-7 motorway. An accomplice is believed to have been driving the getaway vehicle.

Police sources say they are keeping an open mind on the motive for the attack, although there is nothing pointing to it being a bungled robbery at this stage. The spot where the shooting happened is just a 20-minute drive north of the area where two British tourists died and a third was critically injured on Saturday night (16 November) after their hire car was hit by a speedboat which came loose from a trailer in front of them.

The accident on the RM-12, a dual carriageway known colloquially as La Manga motorway, caused a massive pile-up involving around half a dozen cars. The driver of the vehicle with the boat on the back fled the scene.

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