Walter Finch
A SUPERMARKET shootout that saw an innocent bystander hit in the arm has been blamed on rival Turkish mafia groups.
The terrifying gun battle broke out in broad daylight as locals were stocking up for the week ahead just after 6pm on Sunday in the Aldi car park at Isdabe, located between Estepona and San Pedro de Alcantara.
According to renowned Spanish organised crime journalist Nipowifi, two men opened fire as shoppers went about their business, in what authorities believe was a clash between two gangs battling for influence beyond their native Turkey.
One stray bullet struck a man – who had no connection to the mafia groups – as he waited in his car while his wife did the shopping.
A neighbour’s 10-year-old daughter was also in the car when the bullet shattered their window and hit him in the upper shoulder.
Forensic Police officers collected 27 shell casings after the event, with eyewitnesses reporting that the two shooters were peppering an Audi stopped in the car park.
The shooters reportedly ran towards the vehicle guns ablaze, which managed to reverse out and flee towards Marbella as the bullets ricocheted around.
The shooters fled on foot once they realised they had hit an innocent bystander, with some reports suggesting a van picked them up.
Once the chaos had subsided, people rushed to the wounded man’s aid, applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding until an ambulance could take him to Costa del Sol hospital.
Hours after the incident, videos and images of the shooting were circulating on Instagram accounts linked to Turkish mafia groups.
The posts included threats aimed at rivals, suggesting the violence is part of an ongoing power struggle.
The gunmen are believed to be members of the Daltons and the Caspers, two so-called ‘new generation’ mafia outfits fighting for control of the drug trade and extortion rackets in Istanbul.
Last week, the Caspers suffered a major blow when 79 of their associates were arrested in a sweeping police operation. Their leader was reportedly detained in Germany.
The Daltons, meanwhile, have been implicated in violent episodes across Europe, including deadly shootings in France and Greece.
Their members often flaunt their power on social media, posting videos of themselves armed with automatic weapons while ‘patrolling’ the streets of Istanbul.
No arrests have yet been made following Tuesday’s shootout. Police have launched an investigation and are analysing footage from nearby security cameras.
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