A man was shot in the face at a busy restaurant on Malaga’s Muelle Uno waterfront, prompting a police hunt for two attackers. The assault caused panic among diners and bystanders, many of whom initially mistook the gunfire for firecrackers, and is significant because it occurred in a popular tourist area crowded with families.

The victim, a Turkish national born in 1979 according to local reports, was taken to hospital in critical condition. The shooting happened at about 10.30pm while he was reportedly dining with another man and two women; no arrests had been made, and police had not confirmed his nationality. It was the second shooting in Malaga within a week, following the fatal mistaken-identity attack on a 20-year-old man the previous Friday.