Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, the former Vice President of the European Parliament, has revealed significant insights regarding the aftermath of the terrorist attack he survived in an exclusive interview with Spanish online newspaper Infobae. Speaking candidly about the ongoing investigation, Vidal-Quadras disclosed that, despite the arrest of four individuals connected to the attack and the identification of the Franco-Tunisian gunman, key figures such as a Moroccan suspect remain at large. He stressed that those apprehended thus far are considered peripheral to the case, highlighting the pivotal roles held by outstanding figures.
Dr. Vidal-Quadras expressed optimism that locating and arresting these key individuals could significantly advance the investigation. Maintaining his belief in the involvement of the Iranian regime, he also delved into the current political climate in Spain.
A translated version of the Infobae interview follows:
Alejo Vidal-Quadras: “In my political life, I have made enemies, but only those of the Iranian regime are capable of killing.”
The Catalan politician continues to recover from the physical and psychological aftermath of the attack he suffered on the Day of the Almudena. He tells ‘Infobae España’ that he has lived in a “black hole” from which he has emerged with medical assistance and support from his loved ones.
143 days have passed since the terrorist attack that nearly cost the life of Alejo Vidal-Quadras (Barcelona, 1945). The former leader of the PP in Catalonia and former Vice President of the European Parliament receives Infobae España at his home in the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid, just a few meters from where a hitman shot him in cold blood and broad daylight.
This has been his refuge to follow the progress of the case investigation and, above all, to recover physically and emotionally, always with the love of his family.
Question: It’s been four and a half months since the attack. We saw you recovered during the press conference you held, but could you tell us about your progress and how you are now?
Answer: I’m quite recovered. I’m undergoing a series of physical rehabilitation treatments because I lost muscle strength and couldn’t walk. I’ve been gradually recovering from this, and I also have psychological assistance because in a trauma like this, perhaps the most difficult part to overcome is the psychological aspect. Other than that, I still have this area somewhat paralyzed [pointing to the jaw], which makes speaking a bit difficult. I’ve had a recovery that some say has been quick, but I’ve seen it as slow [laughs]. This is always relative.
How Prof Vidal Quadras Landed on Tehran’s Hit List
On Oct 26, 2022, the #Iran regime’s Ministry of FA officially blacklisted Dr. Vidal Quadras because of his long-standing support for the Iranian Resistance & efforts to expose Tehran's malign activities.https://t.co/E4r5NyVRb4— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) November 14, 2023
Q: How has that process of emotional recovery been?
A: The truth is, I was in good spirits at the hospital because my priority and only concern was to recover physically. I couldn’t walk, talk, or swallow… I was in a very damaged physical state. It was when I left the hospital, when got home, that after a few days, I experienced what they call post-traumatic shock. Yes, I had some terrible days of anguish, depression, and anxiety. I felt like I was living in a black hole. My only connection to the world, what prevented that black hole from swallowing me, were my wife and children. I didn’t want to see anyone else. It’s a very painful situation, and you suffer a lot mentally. So, I needed medical help and treatment.
“The attack has been inspired by Iran”
Q: It’s striking that you say the recovery has been slow, but just four and a half months after the attack, you’re speaking openly and transparently about what happened to you and how you’ve experienced it. Is this something you do naturally, or is there intent behind it?
A: No, I believe that those of us with public profiles must practice transparency and sincerity. I have no doubt that this attack has been inspired and organized by the criminal theocratic regime of Iran, the ayatollahs. Because I have distinguished myself for many years supporting the opposition, and therefore I immediately said that I had no doubt it came from there.
Q: You said that despite leading the Iranian regime’s blacklist in the West, you didn’t think they would dare to attack you. However, you revealed at the press conference that, in the ambulance, minutes after the shot, you wrote the word ‘Iran’ on your mobile phone and showed it to the paramedics. Doesn’t that gesture show that you had accepted it could happen?
A: There’s always a certain concern, but I thought they wouldn’t dare. I was a bit optimistic in that regard because they have killed many people outside of Iran, and lately they have begun to dare with Western politicians, not just with Iranian dissidents in exile. That is, it could happen, but I thought the probability was small because they wouldn’t dare. But they did dare, yes…
Former #EuropeanParliament VP @VidalQuadras Accuses #Iran’s Regime of Terrorist Attack in First Press Conference Post-Recoveryhttps://t.co/sO7aaGbvdS
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 23, 2024
Q: There has been much talk about how the events unfolded, about the attack itself, after which you remained conscious. I’m interested in those hours afterward, how were those moments in the ambulance, the arrival at the hospital…
A: Well, conscious in the sense that I didn’t pass out, but there were times when I lost consciousness a little. I have gaps in memory from that interval between the shot and arrival at the hospital. For example, I didn’t remember the face of the man who took off his jacket and pressed the two entry and exit wounds [places his fists on his cheeks] to stop the bleeding. This man told me, “You were looking at me, but I realized you couldn’t see me.” And look at what he did for me.
“The detainees so far were secondary figures”
Q: So far, I believe there are four people arrested for your attack, in addition to the Franco-Tunisian hitman, who is identified but escaped the country.
A: There is also a Moroccan who is on the run.
Q: How do you think the investigation will end? Do you think the true mastermind behind the attack will be charged or brought to trial?
A: I don’t know the details of the investigation because it’s under judicial secrecy. What is clear is that the detainees so far were secondary figures. The two key individuals are the Moroccan and the hitman. If they manage to locate and arrest them, at least one of the two, who could be anywhere in the world, I think we will be closer to clarifying the whole matter. What I am absolutely certain of is that it was the Iranian regime. But of course, I don’t have material evidence.
Q: You say you are fully convinced of that hypothesis, but I don’t know if any other thoughts have crossed your mind during this time.
A: In my political life, as is natural, I have made friends and enemies. But of my political enemies, only those of the Iranian regime are capable of killing.
Spanish newspaper exposes complex network behind Alejo Vidal-Quadras assassination attempt
Report draws attention to potential links to the Iranian regime and its involvement in similar targeted assassinations.#Iran #BlacklistIRGC https://t.co/5mXF5hAlGj— Firouz Mahvi (@FirouzMahvi) February 10, 2024
“Amnesty will never see the light of day”
Q: You suffered the attack on the same day that the agreement between the PSOE and Junts for Pedro Sánchez’s investiture and the amnesty law was announced. There were theories about your attack that were fueled by that context of tension. Despite your total conviction about Iranian authorship, have you received any kind of pressure or suggestion to sow doubt about the motivation for the attack?
A: From whom? From anyone? No, nobody has contradicted me. Nobody.
Q: Tension is now at similar or even higher levels. What analysis do you make of the political scenario in Spain?
A: Spanish politics at this moment has fallen to a very low level because, in serious democracies, political confrontation is maintained at an intensity that does not endanger fundamental constitutional values and the unity of the nation. In other countries in our environment, there may be strong political confrontation between parties, but the existence of the nation as such and constitutional values are not questioned. Today in Spain, unfortunately, the very existence of the nation is threatened, and the government accepts it, creating an unbreathable atmosphere where insults, lies, and low blows abound… The law is not respected because that amnesty law is unconstitutional, so it will never see the light of day. But the government tries everything to stay in power for a few more months. A fictitious power because it is in the hands of others. It’s not exercising power; it’s simply in the Moncloa. It doesn’t have power because it’s in the hands of the coup plotters and the pro-terrorists.
