Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca

Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca (born 20 May 1945) is a Spanish former politician and radiation physicist. Born in Barcelona, he served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014 and served as First Vice President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007.

Career

Vidal-Quadras was elected on the People's Party ticket and sat with the European People's Party group. In 2014, he announced that he was leaving the People's Party for a new party, Vox. He was the frontrunner for Vox in the 2014 European election, but the party failed to win a seat. He is a member of the European Friends of Israel, a lobby group aiming to defend Israel's interests within the European Union.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Relationship with Iran

In 2013 EL Pais reported that 35 Iranian dissidents said to be affiliated to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gave VOX about one million euros. According to Vidal-Quadras, the donations were not made to VOX but to himself.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After 2014, Vidal-Quadras operated Template:Lang the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ), a Brussels-based lobby supporting the NCRI against the Iranian government.<ref name="Suanzes">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ISJ">Template:Cite web</ref>

Vidal-Quadras has aligned with People's Mojahedin of Iran, which led the Iranian Foreign Ministry to impose sanctions on him in 2023. The Iran Foreign Ministry accused Vidal-Quadras of "supporting terrorism and terrorist groups" while Maryam Rajavi said that "Prof. Vidal-Quadras has dedicated an important part of his life to fight against [Iran's ruling religious fascism]".<ref name=ap/>

Attempted assassination

On 9 November 2023, Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in Madrid<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> by a person on a motorbike in Template:Ill at 1:30 p.m. local time.<ref name=ap>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was taken to hospital and was described as recovering after suffering a fracture on his jawbone that required surgery.<ref name=ap/> The assassination attempt is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On November 21, Spanish police arrested three people in connection to the shooting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vidal-Quadras has claimed that Iran was behind the attempted assassination.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Vidal-Quadras, his connection to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an Iranian opposition group, could be linked to the assassination attempt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To date, eight people have been arrested, including Mehrez Ayari who is linked to the Mocro Maffia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sami Bekal Bounouare, a Palma-born man believed to be the mastermind behind the attack, remains at large.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vidal-Quadras is one of the first politicians that Tehran has added to their terrorist list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Iranian opposition attributes the authorship to Religious Fascism that governs the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019 Vidal-Quadras stated that he considers the Iranian regime a cruel dictatorship which foments terrorism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is the first European politician to be targeted within Europe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Aftermath

In January 2024, a suspect in the assassination attempt was arrested in Colombia. Currently four individuals have been arrested in connection with the shooting, while the alleged shooter, a French citizen of Tunisian descent with multiple prior convictions in France, is still at large.

Also Vidal-Quadras called for a change in the EU policy towards the Islamic Republic to avoid trying to "appease, to negotiate, to dialogue and to make concessions".<ref>Spanish politician shot in Madrid points finger at Iran | Reuters</ref>

Political positions

Alejo Vidal-Quadras defines himself as liberal-conservative. He is the founder of far-right political party Vox, and is opposed to abortion rights and gay marriage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

He currently lives off his pensions as a former university professor and a former member of the European Parliament.<ref name="Suanzes"/> In addition to serving in the European Parliament, he has occupied several elected positions in Spain: he was a member of the Barcelona City Council (1987–1991), member of the Parliament of Catalonia (1988–1996) and Senator in the Spanish Senate (1996–1999).

See also

• The Sunflower case
• Unit 840

Books about politics

• "Cuestión de fondo" (Editorial Montesinos, 1993);
• "Amarás a tu tribu" (Editorial Planeta, 1998);
• "Ahora, cambio de rumbo" (Editorial Planeta, 2012).