A joint funeral has been held in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, for Eddie Lyons Jnr (46) and Ross Monaghan (43), two prominent figures linked to the Lyons crime group, following their fatal shooting in a bar in Fuengirola, Costa del Sol, on 31 May. The attack, carried out by a lone gunman shortly before midnight, occurred after the pair had watched the Champions League final.
Spanish police have accused 44-year-old Michael Riley, from Liverpool, of the murders. He was arrested in the UK under an international warrant and is currently fighting extradition to Spain.
The Lyons and Daniel families have been embroiled in a violent gangland feud in Scotland for over 20 years. Lyons Jnr previously survived an assassination attempt in 2007 and was the cousin of Michael Lyons, who was killed in 2006 during a high-profile shooting in Glasgow.
Ross Monaghan, previously acquitted in 2012 of the 2010 murder of Daniel enforcer Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll, survived a separate shooting in 2017 outside a primary school in Glasgow. He is believed to have relocated to Spain soon after that incident and reportedly owned the bar where the double murder occurred. The bar has since been renamed.
Despite Spanish police linking the killings to the Daniel group, Scottish authorities have stated there is no conclusive evidence connecting the murders to the long-running feud. Operation Portaledge, set up to tackle a recent surge in gang violence, has led to 50 arrests so far.
Chief Supt Pedro Agudo Novo, who leads the Spanish investigation, described the killings as highly professional and well-planned. He claims the gunman killed Lyons with a single shot, then pursued Monaghan into the bar and fatally shot him before escaping.
Michael Riley has refused extradition and remains in custody in the UK, with a full hearing scheduled for October.
