Man accused of killing Scots gangsters to appear in Spanish court

A man accused of murdering two Scottish gang members on the Costa Del Sol will appear in a Spanish court later after he was extradited from the UK.

Spanish police have alleged that Michael Riley shot Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan in Fuengirola on 31 May.

The 44-year-old was arrested in Liverpool on 14 June and initially fought his extradition, claiming he would be in fear of his life if he was held in a Spanish prison.

However last week the Crown Prosecution Service said that Mr Riley, of Huyton, Liverpool, gave his consent to be taken to Spain to face prosecution and he was extradited on Wednesday.

He was taken to Spain by specialist officers from the National Crime Agency’s national extradition unit.

The victims were connected to the Lyons family, a major organised crime group based in the west of Scotland which has been involved in a bloody feud with the rival Daniels crime clan that has raged for 25 years.

Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, had been watching the Champions League final with friends when they were targeted just before midnight at Monaghans Bar on Fuengirola’s beachfront.

According to medical reports, Lyons Jnr died after being hit by a single bullet outside the bar.

CCTV footage showed the gunman pursuing Monaghan inside the pub and firing more shots, leaving him fatally injured.

Spanish police confirmed Lyons and Monaghan were killed within seconds of each other by the lone gunman who fled the scene on foot.

Scottish detectives have been helping the Spanish police with their investigation and have provided background information on the pair, who were cremated after a double funeral in July.

Following the killings, Malaga-based Spanish police chief Pedro Agudo Novo described Mr Riley as being a member of the Daniels crime group.

Police Scotland said there was nothing to suggest the shooting in Fuengirola had been planned from within Scotland.

They also said there was no intelligence to suggest a link with another gangland feud which has led to a wave of violence across Scotland’s central belt this year.

The feud has resulted in a series of assaults, shootings and firebombings against individuals linked to the rival gangs in the east and west of the country.

Police Scotland has so far made 57 arrests as part of Operation Portaledge.

31 May: Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr are shot dead at Monaghans bar in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.

3 June: Police Scotland said the murders are not linked to the ongoing gang feud in Scotland and there was nothing to suggest they had been planned in Scotland.

14 June: Michael Riley, 44, is arrested in Liverpool on an international arrest warrant in connection with the shootings.

17 June: During a press conference in Malaga, the Spanish National Police say Monaghan and Lyons Jnr were targeted by a professional killer from the Glasgow-based Daniel crime group. Police Scotland later told BBC Scotland News it stood by its previous statement and added it had “no current evidence” to suggest the double shooting was “orchestrated from Scotland”.

19 June: Mr Riley appears in Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London via videolink from HMP Wandsworth. His is not yet charged so does not respond to the allegations from Spanish police.

4 July: A double funeral is held for Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan at Bishopbriggs Crematorium in East Dunbartonshire.

29 September: Mr Riley does not appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court but his defence lawyer said he would be in “fear of his life from other gang members” if detained in a Spanish prison.

15 October: Mr Riley is extradited from the UK to Spain to face charges, with a court date set for 16 October.

For a full timeline of the ongoing Scottish gang feud click here.