Alejo Vidal-Quadras has asked for prison terms of between 10 and 31 years for those accused of involvement in the attempt to kill him in November 2023. In his indictment, the former European Parliament vice-president and Vox co-founder alleges that Iran commissioned the attack because of his political support for the Iranian opposition.
His defense is seeking a 31-year sentence for Mehrez Ayari, who is accused of shooting Vidal-Quadras in the face. It requests 26 years for Naraya Gómez and Chahinez Kadid, 16 years for Larbi Ayari, Greg Oliver Higuera and Nafis Din Allouch, and 10 years for Adrián Ruiz, whom it describes as an alleged accomplice.
Vidal-Quadras alleges that the defendants formed an organized group involved in crimes against people and that they received an order from Iran’s theocratic regime to target him. He says the alleged motive was his political activity in support of the Iranian resistance and an attempt to warn Spain and the European Union against providing shelter to its movements.
The filing also states that Iran had named Vidal-Quadras as a target and included him on a sanctions list in 2022, accusing him of supporting terrorism. He says the attack left him with hearing loss in both ears and severe depression that has affected his personal, family, social and working life.
The prosecution is seeking 27 years in prison for Mehrez Ayari, 23 years for Gómez and 20 years for the other defendants. For Ruiz, who prosecutors say is not known to have belonged to the alleged criminal organization but helped by buying the motorcycle used in the attack, they are seeking 15 years.
Prosecutors say Vidal-Quadras turned his head, preventing the shot from killing him, but suffered serious injuries. Their filing also points to his past work supporting the Iranian opposition, including efforts in the European Parliament to remove the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran from the EU’s list of terrorist organizations in 2009 and to help members of the group leave Iraq safely.
Sources: elDiario.es.