Diner is shot in the face at Costa del Sol restaurant as cops hunt two gunmen

A police manhunt is underway on the Costa del Sol for two gangsters who shot a diner in a restaurant at a popular open-air marina shopping area in Malaga.Customers and bystanders fled in panic after initially confusing the shots for firecrackers.The victim was shot in the face and was left covered in blood on the ground, according to local media. Pictures published in the aftermath showed the targeted man being assisted by a security guard and another man wearing gloves.He was lying on his front on the ground and had blood on the back of his white shorts.The man, believed to be around 47 years old, remains in a 'critical condition' in a hospital in Malaga, according to local reports. The incident occurred around 10.30pm last night, and the restaurant was identified locally as Lounge Bar Plaza, a Mediterranean eatery and lounge bar on the Muelle Uno waterfront promenade in the port of Malaga.It offers outdoor terrace seating with views of the harbour and yachts and is popular with tourists who flock to the area. Police are pictured at the scene of a shooting in Malaga on Tuesday night Onlookers stand in panic following the shooting at a Malaga restaurantThe gunshot victim has been described locally as a Turkish national who had driven to the restaurant from a nearby hotel where he was staying. He is believed to have been with another man and two women when he was targeted, according to local media. The area was cordoned off with police tape after the shooting as officers launched a manhunt for the two attackers. No arrests have been made so far.The area where the shooting occurred was busier than normal last night because the World Cup trophy Spain won in July was on show at the Pompidou Centre a minute's walk from Muelle Uno.Many families with children had chosen to dine in the waterfront restaurant and shopping area after seeing the trophy. One witness said: 'The surprising thing was that there were a lot of police in the area.'Another told local press: 'There were many children who had been to see the World Cup.'A spokesperson for Spain's National Police said this morning in the force's first statement about the incident: 'A shooting occurred last night around 10.30pm at Muelle Uno in the city of Malaga.'A man, born in 1979, was shot in the face and was subsequently taken to a hospital in Malaga.'The National Police have opened an investigation aimed at clarifying the circumstances of the incident.'At present, no arrests have been made.'Police did not give out any information about the victim's nationality.Last night's shooting was the second in less than a week in Malaga.Last Friday, a 20-year-old man died after being targeted by three men believed to be Swedish nationals in a city centre square.Police are working on the theory that the victim, who has been identified so far only by his first name, Nacho, was mistaken by his attackers for a hitman.He had no criminal record, unlike the Swedish gunmen of Somali origin who had links to gangland crime. The area was cordoned off with police tape after the shooting as officers launched a manhunt for the two attackersThe trio were arrested in separate operations in Malaga and Fuengirola and remanded in prison following their arrests soon after the shooting.Nacho was shot in the leg and the back in the broad-daylight attack and managed to stagger to a nearby supermarket to raise the alarm. He died later the same day after being admitted to a hospital intensive care unit.Police confirmed in a statement yesterday: 'About the murder in the Malaga shooting, the investigation is ongoing, but the initial hypothesis is that the victim was not linked to any kind of criminal organisation or drugs trafficking.'Sources said they believed Nacho could have been mistaken by his killers for a hitman from a rival gang about to target them because of the clothes he was wearing and a man bag he had on which they wrongly thought could have a weapon inside.Friends said afterwards the victim 'had an enormous heart' as his mum Laura published an emotional open letter calling him a 'great lover of animals' and revealing his music talent.It also comes after Spanish police discovered a plastic-lined 'torture chamber' decked out with pliers and hammers in a Costa del Sol home after a man escaped screaming: 'They want to kill us.'Cops arrived at the property in Estepona on September 5 after a woman alerted emergency services that her partner may be in danger. When officers entered the house, a Moroccan man emerged covered in blood, telling police: 'They want to kill us!' 'They want to kill us!' Officers called for reinforcements before entering the home and unveiling a sinister room where gang members appeared to be carrying out torture and abuse.Sources close to a judicial investigation told Spanish news outlet El Español: 'There was a room lined with plastic sheeting. It was a torture room because it had tools like pliers and hammers.'Another man – a Spanish national – was found tied to a chair and covered in blood, while cops seized two AK-47 assault rifles and several handguns.Images from inside the house show a chair and walls covered in plastic so that blood could be removed without leaving any evidence behind.The Moroccan man who fled the property was the partner of the woman who raised the alarm.He had told his girlfriend he was going to a house for a work meeting but told her to call the police if she didn't hear from him within 20 minutes.After 40 minutes without any contact, the woman called the police. Pictured: A chair covered in plastic inside a 'torture chamber' which was dismantled by police in Estepona Spain's Costa del Sol has been ravaged by organised crime in recent years. File image: Marbella Marina Both men were naked, covered in blood and had visible injuries when rescued.Police are investigating why they were being tortured.Seven Georgian nationals believed to be linked with the property have been arrested, while cops continue to search for any suspects linked to the gang.Spain's Costa del Sol – which covers tourist hotspots like Marbella, Estepona and Fuengirola – has emerged as a global hub for organised crime.British expats living in the area have been vocal about their anxieties over living on the Costa del Sol following a massive surge of gang violence.More than 100 mafia groups are said to be operating along the 90-mile stretch of coastline.On September 8, two Danish nationals and a Dutchman were arrested after a police chase along Marbella's famous Golden Mile following the shooting of a Dutch national near the four-star Aparthotel Monarque Sultan in the Costa del Sol resort.The gun attack took place around 2.15pm.The 48-year-old victim is understood to have been shot in the leg in the incident, which is being linked to feuding between rival drug gangs.In the early hours of August 24, a 33-year-old Senegalese man was shot dead in Marbella, about a five-minute drive from the scene of the previous incident in the Costa town.The first footage of the moment police arrived at the scene of that shooting in a street called Calle Pintor Pacheco near the resort seafront and fishing port emerged hours after police confirmed they had launched a murder investigation.In their only official comment, the National Police said shortly after the incident: 'The National Police have opened an investigation to clarify the homicide in Marbella of a 33-year-old man, found early on the morning of August 24 with two gunshot wounds to the abdominal area.'The victim was found dead around 2.20am in a public area, with the corresponding judicial protocol being activated after medical personnel confirmed the person's death.'Officers assigned to the Specialised and Violent Crime Unit (UDEV) of the National Police Station in Marbella have taken charge of the investigation to fully clarify the facts.'The murdered man was initially thought to have been the victim of a hit-and-run before it emerged he had been shot.Rosa Ana Moron, the Chief Prosecutor of Spain's Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office, warned recently that more resources, including specialised courts, were needed to fight against organised crime in southern Spain's Andalucia region.Andalucia's president Juanma Moreno responded by saying on X: 'A few days ago, the State Prosecutor General's Office warned of this in its annual report, and now the chief anti-drug prosecutor of the National Court says it: drug trafficking is spreading in Andalusia and is a structural problem.'More resources are urgently needed. There must be a response from the central government now.'This is a breaking news story; more to follow.