An Irishman is recovering in hospital after being blasted twice with a shotgun in the south of Spain.
Emergency services were called to the scene in a rural area of Granada province after locals heard two shots and saw a bloodied man running towards them and screaming for help in English.
The victim, a 33-year-old Irish national from Northern Ireland who lived locally along with his sister and her husband, had been shot in the torso and the leg.
He was rushed to hospital where his condition was reported as stable today.
The incident occurred in the village of Baza at around 10.30am.
The Irishman’s sister later told cops she was returning home from the local village when she saw a man believed to be her English neighbour allegedly speeding from the area in a van.
After carrying out a search of the locality, police went to the nearby home of the Englishman, a property described as equipped with numerous security measures.
They then remained outside while the 52-year-old allegedly refused to leave the house for several hours.
Police eventually managed to persuade him to come out of the property after calling for the assistance of a trained negotiator.
The Englishman, who had previously carried out some agricultural work for the alleged victim, was then arrested and taken into custody.
A search of his home is alleged to have revealed a subterranean marijuana plantation with 109 plants, nine containers of dried weed described as ready for sale and 15 vials of anabolic steroids along with various syringes.
The room in which the plantation was being kept was only discovered on a second examination of the property, as it was accessed by a tunnel measuring 50cm x 30cm.
The Englishman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, illegal firearms possession, drug trafficking and illegally accessing an electricity network.
Local reports indicated he told police he had taken medication and was suffering from memory loss.
He is due to appear before an investigating judge tonight, who must decide if he will face prosecution over the alleged incident.
Police were also waiting to interview the Irishman, who is being treated in hospital for his injuries, in order to establish what led to the shooting.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
