The British man detained by Spanish police over the death of a bouncer at former TOWIE star Elliott Wright’s Costa del Sol restaurant was arrested three months ago over the alleged hit man who shot an Irishman last year, it has emerged .
The unnamed 32-year-old was one of six Britons detained in early February when he was identified by police as an alleged member of a criminal gang linked to the attempted murder of three Irishmen at a lake near Marbella .
The police at the time labeled the British as ‘extremely violent’ in an official statement and claimed that they had moved to the Costa del Sol to ‘finish the bill’.
Police insiders said the suspect, now the focus of a weekend manslaughter investigation, said the death of Jose Rafael Pisano Pardo, a doorman at Mr Wright’s Olivia’s La Cala restaurant, pointed a gun at officers when they raided his home on Tuesday to arrest him.
He put the gun down after officers heard shouting “police” as they broke down his front door.
Spanish police confirmed overnight: “The man arrested by the vigilante after the doorman’s death is the same person arrested by the national police in February as part of the operation codenamed Operation Tortuga. ‘
Police officers led the unknown man away in handcuffs after his arrest in Marbella on Tuesday
Father-of-two Jose Rafael Pisano Pardo, 55, (pictured) died in hospital on Sunday evening after suffering life-threatening injuries when he intervened in a fight at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Marbella
Elliott Wright shared a heartfelt tribute to his late employee on social media. The former TOWIE star has been pictured in Olivia’s La Cala
Mr Pardo, 55, died in a hospital in Malaga on Sunday after suffering life-threatening injuries when he intervened in a brawl at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant (pictured) in Marbella
He was released on bail pending an ongoing investigation following his arrest in February, despite serious allegations against him. Court officials confirmed on Thursday that he had also been provisionally released after appearing before a judge following his arrest over Mr Pardo’s death.
Pardo, 55, died in a hospital in Malaga on Sunday after suffering life-threatening injuries when he intervened in a brawl at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Marbella.
The married father-of-two allegedly fell to the floor while attempting to eject the suspect from the restaurant after a fight broke out.
The suspect, who was arrested on Tuesday, was jailed in February for the attempted murder of three Irishmen.
The Irish They were fishing in Turtle Lake near Marbella on September 30 last year when a heat team arrived to kill them.
A 24-year-old man shot in the leg has been described as a friend of a Dublin gang boss known as Mr Flashy.
The victim was taken to hospital seriously injured with kidney damage, but survived. The other two targets cheated death and were unharmed.
Police have released video footage of them moving in with a battering ram shouting “Policia, Policia, On the Floor” to handcuff the six suspects in February during pre-dawn raids they carried out using sniffer dogs to collect evidence. collect.
A spokesman for Spain’s national police said after the six arrests, which took place on February 1: ‘National police agents have cracked down on a criminal gang specializing in ‘settlements’ and have arrested six alleged members of the organisation.
“With these arrests, we consider the police investigation into an attempted murder in Marbella last September closed.
Detectives have raided Marbella, Estepona, Fuengirola and Coin and seized four pistols, a revolver, a weapon of war, several machetes, an axe, a bulletproof vest, balaclavas, handcuffs and ammunition, among other things.
The attempted murder took place on September 20 last year at a lake called Turtle Lake, while three men were out fishing and were attacked with guns by a mob of men who shot at their vital organs with the intention of killing them.
“One of them was hit and needed medical attention.”
Pictured: The British man arrested over Mr Pardo’s death is led away by police in Marbella
Unconfirmed local reports have indicated that the doorman (pictured) was punched when he tried to intervene in the fight, which resulted in him hitting his head on the corner of a table as he fell and lost his balance
Jessie J is pictured with Mr. Wright and his wife Sadie Stuart at Olivia’s La Cala restaurant
The spokesman added: ‘The gang’s modus operandi was to pick their victim and rely on equipment that allowed them to know where they were and decide the best time to act with impunity.
“They used a stolen car with false license plates to drive to the area where they plan to end their targets’ lives.
“The car they allegedly used and the places where they stored their weapons have been located.
“All weapons seized contained ammunition and were ready for use.
“During one of the raids, one of the suspects pointed a gun at police and only put it down after officers fired warning shots.
“This operation, codenamed Turtle, has enabled the police to crack down on a criminal gang dedicated to contract killings.”
A judge proceeded to release four of the six detainees and return only two to a local prison, despite serious charges leveled against the men by police.
The four provisionally released suspects were ordered to surrender their passports and were not allowed to leave Spain and had to report to the court twice a month.
The ongoing inquest was described at the time as investigating “crimes against human beings, unlawful possession of weapons and drug offenses,” although the charges against each man were not made clear.
Mr Pardo, 55, died hours on Sunday evening in a Malaga hospital after being admitted to intensive care.
He had stepped in to stop a brawl in Olivia’s La Cala in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Police arrested the man suspected of killing him in Marbella after allegedly obtaining CCTV footage from the inside of Elliott’s eatery Olivia’s La Cala, which showed him punching the doorman when he tried to restrain him after the fight broke out.
They also released footage of the detention, carried out with the help of an elite Guardia Civil unit called the GAR, which traces its roots to a group initially aimed at countering terror group ETA.
Jose’s Chilean-born widow Romina Acuna told the respected Malaga newspaper Sur earlier this week that he called her half an hour before the incident to say he was concerned about the number of drunk patrons in the restaurant.
Widow Romina with her late husband Jose Pisani Pardo on their wedding day in Vegas
The couple had married just five months ago in a glitzy ceremony in Las Vegas and planned to have a child and start a new life together selling sports supplements in the Canary Islands.
Romina also revealed that Jose, a bodybuilder and personal trainer and doorman at Elliott’s Costa eatery, planned to quit his two-year job there after the summer.
Father-of-three Mr Wright temporarily closed his restaurant in La Cala de Mijas for two days on Monday out of respect for the dead man.
The 43-year-old said in a subsequent Instagram post: ‘I am absolutely devastated at the loss of Jose – he was a dear friend and colleague.
“The whole team is mourning a great human being and I support them.
‘I’ve known Jose for over ten years – he’s been a friendly face since I moved to Spain. Over time, he became a good friend and colleague.
“It will take me a long time to get over this, if it ever happens. He was a really good guy.’
He confirmed his restaurant was vandalized on Tuesday after painters defaced it with bizarre graffiti in Spanish, including the words “Mafia” and “Elliott Asesino,” English for “Elliott Killer.” left us, already shocked and saddened, in disbelief.
“We will not be distracted by this senseless vandalism.”
The same eatery was badly damaged in an arson attack two years ago. Two masked men with jerry cans caught on CCTV breaking into the property shortly before it went up in flames have yet to be caught.