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Murder of Scottish gangsters in Spain could drag Kinahan Cartel into new mob war
Fears that double killing could signal Irish gangsters' involvement in new mob war
The pair, who were shot dead in an attack at Monaghan's pub in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol eight days ago, were key figures in the Glasgow-based Lyons crime gang.
The Lyons mob formed a close alliance with the Kinahan Cartel through Eddie Jnr's brother,
Stephen, who previously lived in Spain and now resides in Dubai, and were suspected of helping the Kinahans coordinate the shipment of €157million of cocaine on board the MV Matthews.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party MSP and former crime journalist Russell Findlay yesterday told the Sunday World a major concern for StephenLyons at this moment is whether the Kinahans may have, in fact, sanctioned the hit.
The scene at Monaghan's pub in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol where Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were gunned down
'We already know the Kinahans' involvement in the Scottish drug trade is significant,' he said. 'Their connections with the Lyons have fuelled gangland violence in Scotland and escalated it over the years.
'In the paranoid world of organised crime, there is a lot of smoke and mirrors, a lot of speculation, but what I suppose this boils down to, is either the Kinahans have had a hand in these murders due to some unknown internal fallout or they have seen two of their allies gunned down in cold blood.
'If it is the latter, then the expectation would be there will be some kind of retribution.
'If I was in Stephen Lyons' shoes, living my luxury air-conditioned lifestyle in Dubai, I would be seeking a meeting with the Kinahans at the earliest possible opportunity to work out who has been responsible for this.
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'But the real fear now is this will only fuel gangland violence, not just in Spain, but also in the streets of Scotland.'
In the immediate aftermath of the double assassination at Monaghan's bar, speculation immediately connected the killings to a feud between the Lyons and the rival Daniel gang in Scotland.
An escalation in that feud has resulted in assaults, shootings and fire-bombings across Glasgow and Edinburgh in recent months.
However, a Lyons family member subsequently discounted this theory, while a statement by Police Scotland said there is 'nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland'.
Ross Monaghan
Spanish police are instead understood to be focussed on the likelihood the murders are linked to wider gangland tensions – and are making inquiries to determine what if any stance the Kinahans had taken on the killings.
Lyons (46), and Monaghan (43) died when a gunman opened fire on them in the Fuengirola bar – where the pair had watched the Champions League final, at about 11pm on the night of the killings.#
The gunman then fled the scene in a car.
Sources say the Daniel gang had shied away from making any moves against the Lyons in Spain due to their connections with the Kinahan mob and believe it unlikely their attitude would have changed sufficiently for involvement in the double killing likely.
Outlining the background to the Kinahan's alliance with the Lyons and the effect this had on their feud with the Daniel gang, our source referred to a triple shooting in Scotland that occurred at an MOT station in the Lambhill area of the city in 2006.
Gangsters Eddie Lyons Jnr
In that shooting, Stephen Lyons was badly wounded, as was his associate Robert Pickett, while Stephen's cousin Michael Lyons was shot dead.
A source said: 'Going way back, there was a triple shooting in Glasgow at an MOT station, Stephen was shot, his cousin Michael was murdered, and a third man Pickett was shot. backlash
'That resulted in Stephen fleeing to Spain. And it was that, fleeing to Spain, that was either the catalyst for the Kinahan connection being made or that made it bigger than it had already been.
'At that point, some Daniel gang-related associate was in the Costa del Sol and ascertained the Lyons were close to the Kinahans and took the view that they could not make a move on them in Spain.
'They could not make a move against Stephen in Spain.
Russell Findlay
'So, if the Daniel gang took the view that was too big a move or that the backlash would be too big back then, it would be consistent with them not having the wherewithal to do it now.'
The source said Stephen Lyons is the only member remaining out of the youth gang from which he, Michael and Eddie Jnr emerged.
'The rest are either dead or in prison,' he said.
Asked if Stephen Lyons has anything to fear from his long-term allies, the Kinahans, the source responded: 'These people have absolutely no qualms about putting a knife between the shoulder blades of their best friends if it suits them.
'There's no loyalty and there's a paranoia that envelopes everything they do. So, it would be premature to assume the Kinahans are on a war footing over this to avenge the Lyons murders when for all we know they could have been responsible for it.'
In their statement released on Tuesday, Police Scotland said they were not directly investigating the double murder.
Instead they said: 'The investigation into the fatal shootings in Fuengirola is being carried out by Spanish police,' it said.
'Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police where requested; however at this time we have no officers deployed within Spain.
'There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge.
'Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country.'
