Suspect who shot Spain politician may have planned another murder

Amsterdam: A man who allegedly shot a Spanish politician in November who had links to an Iranian opposition group, is suspected to have been planning to kill another person in the Netherlands, the Dutch public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.

The man, who was arrested by Dutch police on June 6 in Haarlem, "is - as well as another man - suspected of planning the assassination of an Iranian activist and journalists residing in the Netherlands," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"This man, a 38-year old Tunisian national, is also suspected of an assassination attempt of a Spanish politician."

The politician, 79-year-old Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who survived the brazen attack in broad daylight, was shot in the face in a wealthy central Madrid neighbourhood on Nov. 9 by a gunman riding pillion on a motorbike. The bullet passed through his jaw.

"The investigation in the case is ongoing, the suspects are in custody," the prosecutor's office added.