The gunman, according to media reports, pulled a firearm when he was attacked with a knife. He found four bystanders who also had to be taken to hospital. Two are still there, including a 32-year-old Irish woman in very serious condition. The shooting drew extra attention because a cousin of King Felipe VI, Froilán de Marichalar y Borbón, was celebrating his 24th birthday there.
In the investigation, the police make use of camera images and videos made by those present. According to Spanish media, the shooter belonged to a group that sat at a VIP table of 5000 euros in the Beach Club Opium. An argument broke out with people at another table. Guards then removed one of the brawlers, but he is said to have returned a short time later with a knife. He injured the Dutchman in the head, among other things. However, the shooter would not have hit the man who attacked him. He ran off and is wanted by the police, according to the newspaper Sur.
Local media believe an argument between drug gang members led to the shooting. Marbella was a tiny seaside town when it developed into a hot spot for the international jet set in the 1940s and 1950s. It’s still a much-loved and chic beach town, but it’s also, according to a police officer, “the UN of the criminals, almost every major criminal gang in the world is there in one way or another.”